Readings: Malachi 3:19-20; psalm 98; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12; Luke 21:5-19
Grace and peace to you dear brothers and sisters in the Lord.
As we gradually draw close to the end of the liturgical year, the Church, through the readings of today, calls us to reflect on the end of time. We are invited to embrace the right attitude towards the final days and to prepare for the Day of Judgment.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus foretells the destruction of the magnificent temple in Jerusalem, a temple which was the center of life, culture, religion and the pride of the Jews. He talks about the coming persecution of Christians. He talks about wars and violence, natural disasters and strange signs and occurrences in the world. These are events that will precede but do not necessarily imply that the end is imminent.
These announcements naturally should scare anyone listening to them. The disciples must have freaked out, but then Jesus tells them/us how our disposition should be.
He says:
I. Do not be deceived
II. Do not be frightened.
I. Do not be deceived:
We must never allow ourselves to be deceived. Many people will come claiming visions and apparitions about the end of time. Many will claim messages and prophecies from God; many will even claim to be sent by God. Many false Messiahs will arise – many agents of the devil will deceive people by signs and wonders. Let us beware and be wise, let us be discerning and be careful so that we are not deceived or misled (Read Matthew 7:15, 24:11; 2 Corinthians 2:11)
II. Do not be frightened:
The Lord tells us not to be frightened. There is no need to panic when we see what’s going on in the world. Like the Thessalonians, we should also not give up on the world and our mission in it or withdraw from it out of fear.
So many of these things are already happening in our world today. This is why we should take the words of Jesus seriously. He says, “Do not be frightened, I am aware of all that is going on and I have everything under control. There will be a good end to the immediate chaos, and not a hair of your head will be lost without my permission. Everything may seem to be pointless at the moment and you may even think I have distanced myself from the events in the world, but I am here and my finger is moving everything towards a good end for those who persevere in faithfulness to me.”
When people hear news of wars or see what’s happening in our world today, they ask questions, they seek meaning and truth. Sometimes, they even challenge our faith in God in a world that seems to be governed by blind fate. Jesus says, it is not a time to hide our heads, it is not a time to be aggressive or to ignore those asking questions. No! It is an opportunity to witness, to tell people that only in God can they find safety, hope, truth, grace and love. It is time to tell people through our disposition of peace wrought by faith that God is in control and all will be well. The Spirit within us will give us utterances if we have the will to witness.
Lord Jesus, teach us to keep to your words and dispel fear from our hearts. Teach us to know the truth and hold unto it so that we are not deceived, and give us the willingness to witness to you utilising every opportunity we have, Amen.
Sending love and prayers from the Holy Land.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on November 13, 2022.