Commentary on the Gospel of
The Jerusalem Temple was splendid and every Jew took pride in it. No one could imagine an eventual destruction of such a magnificent structure. That is why the prophecy of Jesus was shocking, and it was fulfilled when Roman emperor Titus razed the glorious temple to the ground. When people pointed to him the greatness of the Temple, Jesus wept in response. He was able to see through the external grandeur, the signs of disintegration within. It is in this context that Jesus speaks about the end when the world across may experience crises of different proportions. But God still holds everything in his hands. They are all reminders to us to remain watchful and avoid wrong ways. The Word of God must light up our ways constantly to live in communion with God and one another.
We come across the apocalyptic language in the Gospel today and in the coming days. For us the apocalyptic language is strange and confused. But for the poor and persecuted people of the Christian communities of that time these were the words of hope and consolation that alimented their faith. The apocalyptic language is the fruit of the witness of faith of these people, who, in spite of the persecution and against all odds, continued to believe that God was with them and that he continued to be the Lord of history.
Today we have signs all around that make us concerned. We need to learn to see these events of our times as signs of God’s care for the humanity and way he deals with us in love. He will never let his creation slip out of his hands. We understand all of them properly when place them in the overall design of God for the world.
