In the year 1910, the Earth passed through the tail of Halley’s Comet for six hours. Leading up to this event, French Catholic astronomer Camille Flammarion said that all life on Earth could perish in the gases from the comet.
Christians were sure this was the second coming. Others threw caution to the wind and committed crimes they would not have otherwise. Some merchants sold comet pills to fight the effects of the comet’s gases, while others sold umbrellas, ensuring customers that they would protect them.
On the night in question, people celebrated all night, assuming the morning would not come. But the morning did come, and many more came after that. Things are not always what they seem.
If you came to Mass expecting to be uplifted by our Scripture readings, then you may have been a little bummed as you listened to proclamations filled with doom and gloom and visions and warnings of the end of the world.
In the first reading, the prophet Malachi predicted days blazing like an oven and people being reduced to stubble, reminding us that at some point we must all come before the Lord and answer for what we’ve done in our lives.
Luke doesn’t paint a rosy picture either, with Jesus announcing that there will be wars and insurrections, earthquakes, famines and plagues; and on a more individual level, there will be divisions within the family and the promise of persecution, hatred and even death.
But remember, things are not always what they seem. There is a much deeper meaning as these readings are not meant to incite fear but rather invite us into a deeper reflection about how you and I should be living right now. (Although Jesus does say, “not a hair on your head will be destroyed.” Since I don’t have very much hair, this is some good news!)
Our message today really focuses on preparing ourselves now by persevering in a life of faithfulness and trust in Jesus, and by being authentic witnesses of Christ to the world.
But let’s be honest: most of us have not always been that authentic witness of Christ. Sure, our intentions are usually pretty good, and we desire to live our lives that way, but it just doesn’t always happen. Why? Because we get easily distracted.
For example, the Gospel finds Jesus in Jerusalem with some people who are marveling at the temple in all its beauty. The temple was one of the most impressive buildings in the world at that time. To most Jews it was the heart and pride of all Jewish life, the very symbol of God’s presence among them, and a place they thought would last forever. But Jesus warns them that this great structure would one day be destroyed. This must had shocked them, so they asked, “Teacher when will this happen?” But the Lord said that they shouldn’t be so concerned about the ‘when’ but more about how their faith needed to be rooted in something greater than a building.
For us, I think that the temple represents all those beautiful things in our lives that grab our attention – and we stand looking up at them, obsessed by them and attracted to them. Maybe it’s a sports figure, a movie star, a pop artist, or a K-Pop Demon Hunter. Maybe it’s our image of the perfect life, the ultimate job with that corner office, or the desire for wealth and power. Maybe it’s being obsessed with what others think of us on social media or in person. All these things are reflected in our vision of the temple – and we stand there gazing up at it in wonder and awe. Yet Jesus tells us, “The days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”
Jesus is warning us to not fix our eyes on all those shiny, attractive things that enchant us, because that’s when we become distracted and disoriented from the truth. Rather, we must reorient ourselves and fix our eyes on God and all the good things of God.
Whether the end times are near or not, all of us will face trials in this life. Tragedies of all kinds touch everyone at some point. But regardless of our setbacks (or all those things that shake us up and throw our lives off kilter), Jesus is right there with us in all of it. We must trust in the Lord through prayer and perseverance by remaining faithful to God, and he we will get us through those difficult times. We must rely on God to change us, transform us, and to help us look at life differently…not with a self-centered concern but with an other-centered compassion and care.
Jesus is calling us to think and act differently: to lend a hand to those in need, be a listening ear to those who are lonely, or have a compassionate and understanding heart for those who are struggling to get by. Throughout scripture, we are urged to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless, care for the widow, and rescue the refugee. We are called to love everyone. But that’s not always easy to do.
Will doing these things make us feel uncomfortable? Most likely. But I’ve found that in that feeling of discomfort is where we stretch, grow, and deepen our faith the most. When we do something out of love for one another, we are doing it for Jesus, and we are becoming Jesus to others.
Let me conclude with a story.
A few years ago, a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases in hand, moving quickly through the airport terminal, one of the salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding. All but one! He paused, took a deep breath, quickly assessed the situation — and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He returned to the terminal where the apples were still all over the terminal floor. The man was glad he did. The 16-year-old girl running the stand, he discovered, was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, all the while helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the rushing crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one caring for her plight. No one else, that is. The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, “Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?” She nodded through her tears. “I hope we didn’t spoil your day too badly,” he said. As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, “Mister…” He paused and turned to look back at her. She continued, “Are you Jesus?”
My sisters and brothers, things are not always what they seem. Yes, there will be an end of time, but our faith tells us that it is not an end but rather a beginning. There is no need to live in fear and anxiety regarding the future, but we do need to prepare ourselves by focusing on the here and now.
Jesus reminds us that though there will be persecution and suffering, he will always be with us. Taking up our cross is part of the plan. It may be difficult, but interior strife usually means that something is stirring within us. Our challenge is to find God in that, in all things, in every person, in every place, and in every experience so we can be Jesus to others. Amen.
Faith is not about knowing the answer. Learn more here.
