THE WORD
Dn 6: 12–28 / Lk 21: 20–28
Jesus said to his disciples, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its desolation is at hand. Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Let those within the city escape from it, and let those in the countryside not enter the city, for these days are the time of punishment when all the scriptures are fulfilled. “Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days, for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth and a wrathful judgment upon this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”
IN OTHER WORDS
The “end-time narratives” often treat us with pictures of calamities, unnatural phenomena and other frightening signs that do not exactly make us look forward to the great event. However, in today’s gospel text, we would do well not to gloss over the most important words of the reading: “... stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”
When I’m not doing anything, I love to watch World War II documentaries on the History Channel. One scene is about a group of prisoners of war listening to BBC radio while awaiting the news on the anticipated march of the Allied forces to liberate them. While this was happening they could hear the bombings taking place in a desperate attempt to resist the Allied forces. Still, the prisoners raised their heads for they knew that redemption was at hand.
We are also in some way prisoners, prisoners of sin and death. We are constantly living in a battlefield of good and evil even as we remain hopeful about the coming of our own redemption. So, as we approach the end of the liturgical year, let us not be fearful about the calamities and disasters as depicted in our readings. Rather, let us focus on the joy over the knowledge that we will soon meet Jesus, either at our death or at Jesus’ Second Coming. Whenever that would be, let us be joyful for he comes to us as our Saviour who will deliver us from sin and death and bring us to a life of joy in his kingdom.
- Elmer I. Ibarra, SVD (Sydney, Australia)
The Word in other words 2015
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
