The temple was the center of Jewish life, the focal point of Jewish divine worship. So, Jesus going to the Temple during Holy Week is symbolic, a hint that he is not only a human messiah, he is divine, he is God. As the prophet Habakkuk acclaims,“God is in his holy temple, let all the earth be silent before him.”
St. Luke goes on to detail Jesus’ several visits to the Jerusalem temple throughout Holy Week. Today’s Gospel passage contains part of his final teaching in the Temple before the Last Supper on Holy Thursday. The Lord had already lamented how the Jewish leaders had failed in their mission to lead God’s people to the fullness of faith—they were like a barren fig tree, spiritually defunct and pastorally useless. Sure they were popular, but were they holy? Well, Jesus condemnation of the spiritual leaders was not as shocking as the teaching we heard today.
Standing in the Temple, Jesus announces, “Everything you see here, the costly stones, the votive offerings, all of this will be destroyed.” Now, we have a hard time imagining how shocking this would be because as Christians we believe that our faith is not tied to a building. We gather in beautiful church buildings, we adorn our church buildings because we love God, but our faith is not tied to a building. Our faith has survived barbarian invasions and decades where we had to gather for worship in catacombs and family homes because of government persecution.
But, for first century Jews, the Lord’s prophecy of the Temple’s destruction meant an end to religious life as they knew it. And if that weren’t shocking enough the Lord goes on to describe these terrifying events— powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues, and persecutions—that would proceed the end of the world.
Why did Jesus give this teaching? Why the dire prophecies and dark subject matter? To prepare us, certainly, that his followers might be prepared, that we might keep the faith and persevere in the faith when these events came to pass.
And just as he said, 40 years after his death and resurrection, the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed, there have been famines and plagues earthquakes and wars, his followers have been persecuted up and down the ages, but the Church continues, the faith endures, and she will continue to persevere in faith, until the end of time.
These terrible events will not so much be signs that the Lord is about to return imminently. Rather, we need to persevere in faith despite them. Will there be signs that he is about to return? His teaching basically says today is “no.” We need to be prepared always. “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” Perseverance in what? Perseverance in faith despite the chaos in the world, despite the sufferings we endure. Keeping the faith through whatever the world and the devil throws at us will enable us to secure eternal life.
St. John Paul once said, “Fidelity always has to undergo the real test, that of endurance…it is easy to live consistent with our faith for a day or a few days…but only a consistency which last right through life deserves the name ‘fidelity’.”
I remember a couple of years ago the Media was reporting on the Mayan Calendar which supposedly predicted the end of the world, do you remember this? The Calendar of the ancient Mayans only counted up to the year 2012. And so people were jumping to the conclusion that that is when the Mayan’s thought the world would end. Christians didn’t buy into the hype. We bought new calendars for 2013. For, we do not know the day, nor the hour the Lord will return.
In our second reading, St. Paul gives instruction to the Thessalonians on how they were to conduct themselves as they awaited the Lord’s return. Paul had received reports of disorder in Thessalonica. Christians were not living in an orderly, diligent manner, they were not focused on persevering in faith, in fact, they were busy about minding the business of others. Paul calls them busybodies, focused, not on the Lord and the work of the Lord.
Instead of building up the church, the busy bodies tear it down through gossip, they sow divisions and set poor example through their sloth and idleness—busy about their own plans instead of the plans of God. They carry the name Christian, but they are play-actors.
When our lives are not sufficiently centered on Christ, when we are not sufficiently preparing for Christ’s return, when we are not sufficiently working for the spread of the Gospel, we begin to focus on what is non-essential, we focus on the business of others, rather than the good of others, and we are filled not with peace, but anxiety, exhaustion and unhappiness.
As a remedy for the busy-bodies, St. Paul urges us to “work quietly”, to engage in humble work for the good of the community out of the spot-light, humble work to build up the Church. For peace and joy are found, not in selfish pursuits, but in giving ourselves away in imitation of Jesus. Minding the business of others of likely a sign we are neglecting some spiritual work to which God is calling us and that we have constructed obstacles to authentic communion with God and neighbor.
What is the humble work that God is calling you to this week? What are the quiet ways the Lord is calling you to spread his Gospel? How is the Lord calling us to be less anxious about the future, and less anxious about the business of others, and more diligent in prayer and virtue, more focused on the presence of God in the Temple of our souls?
May this Holy Eucharist renew us in purpose and peace, amidst all the chaos and sufferings of our life, renewing us in our mission in working to build up the Church, the temple built of living stones, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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