The Destruction of the Temple

Tuesday,
November 26, 2019
1st Reading:
Dm 2:31-45
Gospel: Lk 21:5-11
While some people were talking about the Temple, remarking that it was adorned with fine stonework and rich gifts, Jesus said to them, “The days will come when there shall not be left one stone upon another of all that you now admire; all will be torn down.” And they asked him, “Master, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?”
Jesus then said, “Take care not to be deceived, for many will come claiming my title and saying: ‘I am he, the Messiah; the time is at hand.’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and troubled times, don’t be frightened; for all this must happen first, even though the end is not so soon.”

And Jesus said, “Nations will fight each other and kingdom will oppose kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and plagues; in many places strange and terrifying signs from heaven will be seen.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)

This Gospel passage makes five important references. They are as follows: 1) the persecutions to come that spared not even Jesus’ close followers; 2) the imminent fall of Jerusalem that even devastated the Temple otherwise thought of as indestructible; 3) the second coming of Christ preceded by the emergence of false prophets;3) the concept of the Day of the Lord, on account of which the Jews divided time into two ages, namely, the present age and the age to come; 4) and the period of cleansing which was to happen between the periods of the present age and the age to come. (William Barclay, ‘The Daily Study Bible).
Jesus foretold the coming persecutions without sugarcoating his message. Unlike other religious leaders who carefully worded their advertisements at the recruitment stage, Jesus told his followers frankly about the persecutions awaiting all who follow him. With Jesus laying down his cards we can have an informed decision. If you decide to follow him, be ready to deny yourself and take up your cross. If you decide otherwise, who do you follow? The disciples said it correctly when they exclaimed: “Lord, to whom shall we go, you have the words of everlasting life!”
A second lesson we can draw from Today’s Gospel reading is in the matter of his bold forecast about the imminent fall of Jerusalem. This became even more shocking when he talked about the devastation of the Temple. Even what appears to us to be indestructible in this world won’t endure. Scriptures tell us that there are only three things that last: faith, hope and charity. May this lesson strengthen our resolve to follow no other Master but Jesus.   – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., J.D., D.M.