On the penultimate Sunday of the Liturgical Year, the Church gives us a strong and, at first glance, even frightening Gospel (Lk 21:5-19) saying that “not one stone will be left upon another”, and of “wars, earthquakes, persecutions…”. There are not a few people who, when they hear this text, immediately think: “Okay, it’s the end of the world!”. But Jesus does not speak to generate panic; He speaks to kindle in us discernment, vigilance, and perseverance. As the liturgical year ends, we are invited to look to the end – not to be afraid, but to better choose how to live today.
In our podcast this week (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycp0gAhisL0) we propose seven points for your prayer with this Gospel. Here they are, in the form of meditation, to help with your Lectio Divina.
- “Admire these things?” (Lk 21:6a)
The Gospel begins with people admiring the beauty of the Temple, ornamented with beautiful stones. Jesus does not deny beauty, but places it in the perspective of eternity: “not one stone will be left upon another”. Everything that today seems solid, brilliant, untouchable – works, projects, structures, even religious realities – will one day pass. This is not contempt for what is beautiful; It is a call to rearrange the priorities of the heart. Where is my true admiration? In things that are dissolved, or in Him who remains? We can contemplate the beauty of the world, of art, of churches, of people – but without forgetting that God’s love alone does not pass away. With Saint Teresa of Jesus, the word echoes: “Everything passes; only God does not change.” It is a discreet invitation from Jesus: “That which fascinates you most today… Will it still be important in the face of what will not pass?”
- “And what’s the sign going to be…?” (Lk 21:7c)
At the announcement of the ruin of the Temple, the question immediately arises: “Master, when will this happen? And what will be the sign that these things are about to happen?” The human heart loves predictions, schedules of the end, calculations of dates, maps of catastrophes. Jesus, however, does not play the game of anxious curiosity. He does not give a “trick” to identify the end. He describes events that have accompanied all of history: wars, conflicts between peoples, natural disasters, epidemics… This has always existed and will continue to exist. The most important thing is not “when” or “where” or “how“, but “with whom” I go through all this. The real sign is Jesus himself. Every upheaval of history – world or personal – must be a warning: “Let the form of this world pass away” (1 Cor 7:31b); “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is not seen is eternal” (2 Cor 4:18). Hence the Lord’s invitation: “fix your gaze on me“. The Gospel shifts our curiosity from the calendar to conversion: more than knowing “when the end will be”, we need to ask ourselves: how am I living today?
- “Take heed that you are not deceived” (Lk 21:8b)
Jesus is very clear: “Beware that you are not deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘It is I!’ … ‘The time is near’. Do not follow these people!” In each era, prophets of fear, preachers of disaster, “definitive” conspiracy theories emerge, dates set for a supposed rapture, apocalyptic “” on the networks. In addition to the false religious prophets, there are also the most subtle deceptions: gospels without the cross, spiritualities without conversion, doctrines that distance us from the Church and Tradition. Jesus gives us the criterion: the fruits and His Word and that of the Church: “Therefore by their fruits you will know them” (Mt 7:20) and “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; If they have kept my word, they will also keep yours.” (Jn 15:20). To what extent do I allow myself to be fed by alarmist news, sensationalist videos, “revealed” messages that generate more anxiety than faith? The Word today invites us to a healthy fast of fear and to mature trust: I do not need to run after secret signs; I need to remain firm in Jesus, in the Church, in the Sacraments. He alone is enough!
- “You will be taken in prison and persecuted” (Lk 21:12b)
Before speaking of the end, Jesus speaks of something very concrete, of persecution: “You will be taken and persecuted… you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake.” When Luke writes his Gospel, this was already happening: the Temple had been destroyed (in the year 70 AD), Christians were persecuted and handed over to the courts. Today, this prophecy remains painfully timely: there are still many Christians persecuted, imprisoned, tortured and killed for their faith. And in countries with a Christian tradition, ” polite” persecution is growing: mockery, marginalization, loss of opportunities because of fidelity to the Church and to Christian morality. Jesus, however, interprets this as an occasion for witness: it is precisely there that the authenticity of faith is revealed. In the Greek, “witness” is “martyr”, and perhaps you are not called to martyrdom of blood, but perhaps to a white martyrdom: being faithful when it is easier to be silent, to relativize, to “adapt”. The question that can guide prayer is, “How do I respond when my faith meets resistance? Do I hide, attack, or witness with meekness and firmness?”
- “I will give you such right words…” (Lk 21:15a)
In the midst of so many trials, Jesus not only warns, He promises: “Make a firm resolution not to plan ahead for your own defense, because I will give you words so accurate that none of your enemies will be able to resist or rebut you.” This is not an invitation to intellectual laziness, but to trust in the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It is a strong call to live so united to Jesus that when we are tested, His Word will come to our aid. How many times do we anguish thinking: “What if you ask me who I believe? What if they ridicule me? What if I don’t know how to answer?” Jesus assures us, “Trust in me. Do your part – pray, be formed, stay in the Church – and I will do Mine.” This passage is a special consolation for those who suffer opposition in the family, at work, in schools for being Christian. The Lord says, “You are not the one who is going to ‘defend Jesus’; it is I who will defend you. Let me speak for you and for you.”
- “You will be delivered…” (Lk 21:16a)
Perhaps one of the most painful verses is this: “You will be delivered even by your own parents, brothers, relatives, and friends.” Jesus does not romanticize discipleship. He knows that following God’s will often costs misunderstandings even at home: parents who do not accept the vocation of their children, spouses who stumble in the conversion of the other, young people who are ridiculed because they have decided to live chastity, families divided because of faith. This does not mean abandoning the family, much less ceasing to honor father and mother; it means, rather, recognizing that Christ must be in the first place in our love and, when obeying God and pleasing family members clash, it is the Gospel that must prevail. Here, prayer can be very concrete: placing before Jesus the family tensions related to faith, asking for the grace to love our own more, not less, without negotiating what is essential. At the same time, remember that we too, at times, can be the ones who “surrender” the other, when we do not welcome the work of God in the life of those who are next to us.
- “It is by standing firm that you will make a living!” (Lk 21:19)
The final phrase of Jesus is the key to reading the entire Gospel, perseverance and faithfulness in adversity: “It is by standing firm that you will gain life.” The Christian life is not a 100-meter dash; it is a marathon! It is not enough to start well, to be inflamed in a retreat, to fall in love with Jesus in a strong experience. The secret is not enthusiasm, it is perseverance. To persevere when prayer is dry, when the Church is criticized, when scandals confuse, when wars and crises seem to contradict the goodness of God. Jesus does not promise the absence of suffering; he promises that, in the midst of everything, not a hair of our head escapes the care of the Father. Perseverance is not blind stubbornness; It is loving fidelity: to fall and get up, to get discouraged and start again, to cry and continue trusting. In the end, the true victory will not be for those who guessed dates and signs, but for those who, sustained by grace, remained in Christ until the end.
Some practical conclusions
- Pray for the grace to relativize what passes: goods, structures, projects; and to fix your gaze on what does not pass away – God, His love.
- Distinguish what you are consuming: news, channels, content. Do they feed faith or fear? Are they nutritious or harmful?
- Present to Jesus the small and large persecutions you experience for being a Christian; ask Him for gentle courage and an unresentful heart.
- Intercede for persecuted Christians in different parts of the world. Adopt a persecuted country or community and remember it at Mass, in the rosary.
- Choose a concrete field to persevere in this week: daily prayer, Sunday Mass, meditation on the Word, a Sacrament (confession postponed for months?), a service in the parish or in the community.
Steps of Lectio Divina
- Reading (lectio): Read the Gospel (Lk 21:5-19) calmly, in a low voice, underlining the words that touch you the most: “not one stone will be left upon another“, “be careful not to be deceived“, “you will be persecuted“, “I will give you words“, “standing firm…”.
- Meditation (meditatio): Ask yourself: “What worries me most about this text? At what point does Jesus comfort me? Where have I ever experienced any of this – deceptions, trials, discreet persecutions?”
- Prayer (oratio): Speak to the Lord from what touched your heart. Ask: “Jesus, keep me from deception, strengthen me in persecutions, and give me the grace to endure to the end.“
- Contemplation (contemplatio): Remain silent before Jesus. Imagine yourself holding His hand in the midst of storms and confusion; let the peace of Christ quiet your fears, anxieties, and exaggerated worries.
- Action (actio): Choose a concrete gesture of persevering faith: to take up an abandoned commitment, to defend the faith with charity in some situation, to visit someone who suffers because of their fidelity to God, or to offer a sacrifice or penance for persecuted Christians.
Why this Gospel at the end of the Liturgical Year?
Because, as the year ends, the Church wants to revive in us the perspective of eternity: everything passes, Jesus comes. We do not know the day or the hour, but we know that He will come. This Gospel helps us to:
- To relativize what today seems absolute (temples, systems, powers).
- Discern spirits and messages, so as not to be deceived by fears and false prophets.
- To persevere in faith, even in the midst of wars, crises, persecutions, and family divisions.
In the end, the great news is not that “the world will end,” but that Christ will return. And when He comes, He will find in us a heart admired by stones… or a heart fixed on Him Who is the Cornerstone?
See you next Sunday.
Shalom!
https://youtu.be/Ycp0gAhisL0?si=XW6_cYP4KTo3QxWH
