20201124 IMPERMANENCE OF HISTORY
24 November, 2020, Tuesday, 34th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
Apocalypse 14:14-19 © |
The harvest and the vintage of the earth are ripe
In my vision I, John, saw a white cloud and, sitting on it, one like a son of man with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the sanctuary, and shouted aloud to the one sitting on the cloud, ‘Put your sickle in and reap: harvest time has come and the harvest of the earth is ripe.’ Then the one sitting on the cloud set his sickle to work on the earth, and the earth’s harvest was reaped.
Another angel, who also carried a sharp sickle, came out of the temple in heaven, and the angel in charge of the fire left the altar and shouted aloud to the one with the sharp sickle, ‘Put your sickle in and cut all the bunches off the vine of the earth; all its grapes are ripe.’ So the angel set his sickle to work on the earth and harvested the whole vintage of the earth and put it into a huge winepress, the winepress of God’s anger.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 95(96):10-13 © |
The Lord comes to rule the earth.
Proclaim to the nations: ‘God is king.’
The world he made firm in its place;
he will judge the peoples in fairness.
The Lord comes to rule the earth.
Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad,
let the sea and all within it thunder praise,
let the land and all it bears rejoice,
all the trees of the wood shout for joy
at the presence of the Lord for he comes,
he comes to rule the earth.
The Lord comes to rule the earth.
With justice he will rule the world,
he will judge the peoples with his truth.
The Lord comes to rule the earth.
Gospel Acclamation | Lk21:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Stand erect, hold your heads high,
because your liberation is near at hand.
Alleluia!
Or: | Rv2:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Even if you have to die, says the Lord,
keep faithful, and I will give you
the crown of life.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 21:5-11 © |
The destruction of the Temple foretold
When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, Jesus said, ‘All these things you are staring at now – the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.’ And they put to him this question: ‘Master,’ they said ‘when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that this is about to take place?’
‘Take care not to be deceived,’ he said ‘because many will come using my name and saying, “I am he” and, “The time is near at hand.” Refuse to join them. And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not so soon.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines here and there; there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.’
IMPERMANENCE OF HISTORY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Rev 14:14-19; Luke 21:5-11 ]
Many of us live in denial of the inevitable reality of death, thinking we will live forever on this earth. More so today with all the health supplements, cosmetic enhancements, prolongation of life, it seems we will never die, or at least the idea of death is taken away from the view of humanity. This explains why many of us are not in a hurry to seize the opportunities to live life to the fullest. We idle away our time, or spend our time living in regret of what could have been, lamenting our past mistakes, keeping grudges against those who have hurt us, hanging on to our pain and our enemies. Every moment we spend living in the past, we miss living in the present, and our future remains bleak.
Then there are those who are not ready to confront the reality of the end of their history on this earth. They think they can hold on to the status quo forever. The young live their lives as if they will never grow old. Those who are in their prime think that they can hold on to their office, status, health and wealth forever. The truth is that a time will come when we have to relinquish our office and positions. Our health will fail eventually, and we will no longer be able to see, hear or think clearly. We might not even be able to walk or do things by ourselves. We might even die a premature death because of some unfortunate accident or disaster. When that happens, the Lord will say, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” (Lk 12:20)
This is the theme of today’s scripture readings, where we are confronted with the transitory reality of history, and the final judgement at the end of our history, personal and communal. St Luke wrote, “when some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, Jesus said, ‘All these things you are staring at now – the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.'” We can be sure that if we were in the place of the Jews, standing there admiring the grandeur of the majestic Temple, its purity, splendor and brightness, we too would be scandalized. We must take note that this Temple was not the one that King Solomon built. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 B.C. Rather, we are speaking about the rebuilt Temple during the time of Ezra after their return from exile. However, it was desecrated by the Seleucids and then re-consecrated by the Maccabees in the 2nd century. This Temple that Jesus was referring to was reconstructed by Herod the Great in 19 B.C. By the time of Jesus, the Temple was largely completed although construction went on until A.D. 63. So we can imagine the horror when Jesus made the remark earlier on, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” (Jn 2:19f)
So it was unthinkable that such a great monument would be destroyed one day. Isn’t this what we think as well? All earthly empires, kingdoms and nations think they will last forever, be it the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Christian Roman Empire, the Colonial powers such as Portugal, Holland, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, or the United States now. Even in China, we have seen dynasties rise and fall, one after another. Even beautiful monuments like the Notre Dame in Paris almost burnt down completely. The truth is that nothing on this earth will last. Everything is passing. No matter how strong the edifice, the power of the empire, the wealth and achievements of the nation, or the individual, all these will not last. We will all be part of the ruins of history and civilizations. We all live under the delusion of immortality.
Yet, this is the reality of history. Nothing can last forever. As individuals, we are finite. We are not gods. We must not deceive ourselves into thinking that we are so powerful, so mighty, simply because we are famous, rich and influential. In the face of old age and incurable sickness, we will be turned to dust and be consigned to history. Even if not due to old age, it could be due to natural disasters or human wickedness. Jesus was prophetic about history and realistic as well. He said, “When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not so soon. Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines here and there, there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.” Indeed, not only will natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes and typhoons destroy lives, but human beings, because of selfishness, will cause creation to be destroyed, as we see in climate warming. We live as if tomorrow is guaranteed. But the world will be destroyed because of the selfishness of nations thinking only about their national interests and failing to serve the global interests of all nations. When nations think only of themselves and their narrow interests, which they call national interests, it will lead to competition, insecurity, military and economic wars.
This is why the Lord told the disciples, “Take care not to be deceived, because many will come using my name and saying, ‘I am he’ and, ‘the time is near at hand.’ Refuse to join them.” We should not be frightened and over react. Rather, we should take them as signs from heaven, urging us to look at life on earth in perspective. As St Paul warns us, “For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.” (Phil 3:18-21) Indeed, whether it is natural disasters, man-made disasters, or because of the wickedness and selfishness of humanity, we are called to be prepared for the end.
The end of history is part of God’s plan towards the fulfillment of humanity. There will be a “new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” (Rev 21:1) So we should not be surprised, but take action that we will be ready to survive all the evil, persecutions and sufferings of the world because of social disorder, civil unrest, wars, diseases, famine and pandemic. Covid-19 will not be the last of these pandemics. More disasters are ahead of us. If individuals and nations take the path of protectionism and narrow National interests at the expense of the rest of the world, we will all perish together.
Indeed, today’s first reading speaks of the ultimate judgement that would take place. Will we join the 144,000 martyrs for Christ who have washed their garments clean with the blood of Christ, and kept themselves pure and blameless so that we can be the final harvest for God? A time will come when the Lord will say to His angels, “Put your sickle in and reap: harvest time has come and the harvest of the earth is ripe.” The 144,00 were the first fruits and the rest of us will be the grains of wheat that will be harvested at the end of time. But those who are wicked and evil, selfish and immoral, they will be crushed like the grapes in the winepress of God’s wrath. “Put your sickle in and cut all the bunches off the vine of the earth; all its grapes are ripe. So the angel set his sickle to work on the earth and harvested the whole vintage of the earth and put it into a huge winepress, the winepress of God’s anger.” Such are the imageries used to present to us the reality of the final judgment.
Instead of being fearful at the prospect of the final judgment, we must look forward with hope and confidence. This would be the day of our salvation, the day of our fulfillment. For those who lived their lives in accordance to the gospel, a life of integrity, love, justice and compassion, they will be rewarded with the joy of celebrating the heavenly feast.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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