Not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.
There’s a great deal of violence and destruction in the pages of Holy Scripture. The Sacred History of Israel is full of murders, disasters, invasions, tyranny, oppression, slaughter. In the Hebrew Prophets we find page after page of threats and warnings of terrible things to come. And the Prophets tell us that these frightful afflictions must be regarded as from God, as a punishment for infidelity and sin.
Then Jesus came: the Angel of peace and salvation, the bearer of Good News, the bringer of forgiveness, mercy, redemption, life. Yet today we hear Jesus speaking to us terrible words of warning, words of violence, affliction and disaster. The Temple will be destroyed. Jerusalem will be destroyed. The world will be destroyed. And until then: wars, earthquakes, plagues, famines. Jesus said this because it’s simply true. Apart from the final end of the world, what he said has all happened, or is still happening all around us.
There’s a striking feature to this prophecy of Jesus that we should certainly notice. He tells us that the ones who will bear the brunt of the promised afflictions here are not the most grievous sinners, but precisely those who are faithful. Those who remain God-fearing, loyal, good, virtuous, Christ-like, will be betrayed, hated, put to death. That is, until the end of time, the disciples of Jesus must share the lot of their Master. And for them, this will be actually not a disaster at all, but even, finally, a blessing. So he tells us we have no need whatever to worry or be afraid. Yes, there will be much suffering and sorrow. But he has all things in his hand. The victory over the devil, over sin and death, has already been won. So those who belong to Jesus, and who remain faithful to him, cannot suffer any final harm. On the contrary, their endurance, their patience will help them grow as Christians, will increase their Christ-likeness, will contribute to the redemption of the world. Then at the end, all will be eternal reward, eternal rejoicing, eternal security with God in heaven.
You don’t need me to tell you that there is a great deal of suffering and sorrow all over the world, and that Christians are everywhere in our day being persecuted for their faith. Maybe what you do need to hear though is that authentic Christianity can and must take these words of Jesus very seriously. And there’s plenty of inauthentic Christianity about these days. You’ve heard of “Prosperity Gospel”. Its message is: Follow Jesus, and he will bless you with riches, good health, good fortune, peace and happiness in this world. Elements of this are true enough, but still we have here quite a radical perversion of the Faith. Here in the West we continue to be inheritors of the 1960's euphoria, where suddenly it seemed that Christianity could make peace with the world, and everyone would live henceforth in perfect harmony, and all conflicts would be resolved, good will would reign on every side, and all unpleasant restrictions on freedom would be done away with. And so Christ’s Cross would be forgotten, and robbed of its power. But the Cross as a matter of fact remains, and we are always called to embrace it, in whatever way it comes to us.
So if you have troubles in your life, and pains, and distress; if you look out on the world around you with dismay; then today’s Gospel has words of powerful consolation and reassurance for you. Whereas: if everything habitually goes your way, and you possess everything you could possibly wish for, and are perfectly content with it all: then probably you are in a bad place. Most likely you are finding your consolation here below, where all is fickle and ultimately worthless. In the language of St. Augustine, you risk making yourself a contented citizen of Babylon, City of the devil. But it’s much better to be a citizen of Jerusalem, the City of God. If you belong to that City you cannot ever be fully content with this life. You endure it, looking forward all the time to your release, liberation, true and unimpeded life, when this world finally comes to an end.
Today’s Gospel reminds us then that Christians are not supposed to be too comfortable in this world. The normal end for a Christian is martyrdom. If we avoid the martyrdom of blood, we have somehow to undergo a martyrdom of patience. One of the ways the Saints ensured their detachment from this world was by corporal mortification. They deliberately made themselves uncomfortable, in order to be less attached to the things of flesh, and more attached to the things of God.
Is this good or bad news? It all depends on whether or not it’s true: on whether or not the words of Jesus can be trusted. If he’s wrong, then I should live for myself. If he’s right, I should live for him.
Obviously we are here now because we think Jesus is to be trusted, and his words are true. If ever we want any corroborating evidence, we have only to look at those who have truly decided to live for themselves alone: to get what they can out of this world. And we see they are not happy. In fact they are miserable, even amid comfort and plenty of every sort. Whereas: those who live in perfect charity; those who have renounced themselves entirely, in order to live for God alone: yes, they suffer a lot, but they are happy. Not only happy: they radiate goodness, light, joy, hope, love, wherever they go. Their lives by any standard are admirable, noble, praiseworthy. They are always deeply sensitive to the sufferings of others, and do all they can to relieve them. But above all, they help others to bear their own burdens with renewed courage and hope. May we all be found on the Last Day among their number.