And that last week, Each day between Palm Sunday and Holy Thursday, the Lord Jesus went with his Twelve Apostles to the Temple, to teach and preach about God’s saving love and that the kingdom of God was at hand. Today, we hear the Lord, standing at the temple, and the crowds are commenting on the magnificent marble Temple with its stones glittering in the afternoon sun, the Christ uttered a stark prophecy: “All that you see here—the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone.”
Now for the Jews, remember, the Temple was the center of religious and civic life. To foretell the end of the temple to the Jews, would mean an end to life as they knew it, the end of the world.
Why do we meditate upon this scene today? Well, we, too, have come to the end of things: the end of the liturgical year is just a week away. So, we consider the end, so that we may prepared for our earthly end, and the end of time.
I think I’ve used this image before, but one of my favorite action movie heroes is Indiana Jones—the archaeologist college professor who dons his fedora and leather whip to track down lost artifacts in foreign lands. And of course he has to fight through waves of Nazis and cultists in order to do so. Before I ever considered a vocation to the priesthood, I thought that would be a pretty interesting job.
One of my favorite scenes is from the third installment of the movie series Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Indiana Jones’ father had been kidnapped, and he is pursuing who he thinks are the kidnappers on a boat chase through the water ways of Venice Italy. Finally, Indiana and the kidnapper are in a boat being drawn towards the propeller of this huge steam ship, and the propeller starts to chop up the boat they are in. The kidnapper says, if you don’t let me go, Doctor Jones, we’ll both die. He reveals a cross around his neck and says, My soul is prepared Doctor Jones, how is yours?” What a powerful line. My soul is prepared, how’s yours?
The Christian must live with his soul prepared always. The coast guard of these United States has a great motto: semper paratus. Always prepared. Well, every human being does well to consider, is your soul prepared. Prepared for what’s next.
Holy Mother Church very wisely, reminds us of the need to be prepared, every year, at the end of the liturgical year. We know when that day will come. The last day of the liturgical year is the Saturday prior to the first day of Advent. But, we do not know the day, when the the end is coming, either for each of us, individually, or collectively, for the human race. We know neither the day nor the hour when the Lord will return, but he will, just as he said.
Will it be soon? We don’t know. He mentions the signs that will proceed his return in the Gospel today: earthquakes, hurricanes, war, rampant immorality, famine, and plagues. These dangers to mortal life are reason enough to ensure our souls are prepared. Walking around as if we shall never face our judge is foolishness.
Rather, we are to wisely prepare by following the Lord’s own teaching. He says, “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” Perseverance in what? In faith, of course. Faith, hope, and love. Perseverance in following Christ’s teachings, keeping God’s commands, repenting of sin; engaging in works of mercy, forgiving our enemies, and spreading the Gospel. Perseverance in using the time we have been given to pursue the will of the heavenly Father, like Jesus.
I heard a story this week about a millionaire who visited a holy mystic, who told him that in 10 days he would die. So the millionaire books a flight to paris, and for the next few days, he drinks wine, and dines, spends a night on the riviera, he gambles, and seeks after thrills, but after a few days, he finds himself empty and deeply depressed. So he goes to his family, whom he had neglected in the pursuit of his wealth, and tries to rekindle things with them; he has a coffee with his brother, takes his nieces to the park, seeks and asks forgiveness from his estranged wife and children, and senses something beginning to stir in him. On the tenth day, he goes into church, kneels down and asks God what he is to do with his final hours. He gets no answer, but his gaze kept returning to the crucifix. Stepping out of church, he sees a young boy crossing the street, and sees a large truck barreling down toward the child. He runs into the street and pushes the boy out of the way, but is struck by the truck. Months later, he awakes from a coma, surprised to be alive. He undergoes therapy, is thanked profusely by the child’s mother, and is named a hero. But he is confused, he thought he was going to die in 10 days from his encounter with the mystic. So he returns to the holy figure, and seeks an answer: “holy one, I thought you said I would die in 10 days.” To which the mystic responded: “you did die. You died to worldliness, recognizing the emptiness in wealth and worldly pleasure. You died to pride, seeking reconciliation and forgiveness with your estranged family members. And you died to fear and selfishness, putting your own life at risk to save another. The old you is dead, see to it that he stays that way.”
A nice little story illustrating the a great lesson of our faith. In baptism, we have died to the old way of life, to worldliness, pride, and selfishness, so that we may live a new life for God. And with God's help, we are to see to it that we stay dead to those things, persevering in faith, hope, and charity. In this way, our soul becomes prepared for the end, for judgment. Detachment to the old way of life, death to sinfulness, enables us to be filled with the life of God, and the fruits of the Spirit--with peace, joy, gentleness, and so on...
With the help of the Holy Spirit, may we prepare our souls by confessing our sins and persevering in Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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