Today it started nicely: “Look at the temple, how beautifully it is decorated!” (Lk 21, 5-19) It probably was; some consider it a wonder of the world at that time. With a few words, Jesus directed attention to a broader horizon. And from the admiration of the beauty of the temple, a rather ugly description of the world arose: war, persecution, betrayal by those closest to you; even heaven and earth are not what they used to be.
Isn’t it a bit close to us too? We are not doing the worst. But if we look up from our “temple,” that is, from what we like, what brings us joy, and look at the broader horizon, we will find that it is almost precisely as Jesus said: wars, persecution of Christians on the enormous scale in history, betrayal. And today, more than ever, we also talk about the fact that neither heaven nor earth is what it used to be. Jesus’ contemporaries asked him when everything would end. But it wasn’t just their question. It seems to be a regular part of humanity. It doesn’t have to be a religious question. Sometimes we wonder when this or that regime will end. Other times we ask when our pains, my sufferings will end.
Some theologians say that the religious question about the end has morphed into a secular, civil question – e.g., in the form of Marxism. By abolishing personal property and class society, he wanted to end one stage of humanity and gradually establish paradise. But not only Marxism is a recasting of the question of the end. Liberal democracy also believed that an era of well-being and contentment would begin after the end of the Cold War, i.e., after over, coming to the division of the world into two camps. And advertising also works with the question of the end and the beginning of the new: it promises us that if we buy their products, we will look perfect, a qualitatively new era will begin for us, or joint pain or something else will subside. That is why it is good to understand how the Bible deals with the question of the end. We probably won’t decipher it enough, but we can summarize something.
I will mention three dimensions in particular.
1. The Bible is skeptical that man and humanity could create a paradise on earth. Yes, in the Apocalypse, it is written that at the end,d there will be a new earth and a new heaven where there will be no more tears, suffering,g or death. But these new heavens and earth will be created by God, not man. However, even though the Bible is skeptical of an artificial paradise, ss knows about our great inner possibilities to approach God’s kingdom on earth. And he invites us to let these possibilities grow, to consciously use them for such building, even if the result will not be perfect and eternal.
2. Today’s gospel is an excellent call to believe not only the preachers of fear but also those who have clear solutions – who are the only ones who know where to run. Today it is also a warning against those who know what others should do, who know who their enemies are.. And there are still enough such people today; I don’t need to convince you. “Do not follow them!” – that was Jesus’ instruction. There is always something to do in the fight against our selfishness and stupidity, so we don’t have to run anywhere.
3. Faced with the onslaught of all possible threats and difficulties, a person can wait with his head bowed for it to come somehow crashing down. However, the Gospel does not give instructions for such an attitude. On the contrary – Jesus’ speech about the judgment before which we will stand is about taking personal responsibility for what we do and what path we walk. This is the complete opposite of resignation or withdrawing into your world.
