From: Luke 21:20-28

Discourse on the Destruction of Jerusalem and the End of the World

(Jesus said to his disciples), [20] “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by
armies, then know that its desolation has come near. [21] Then let those who
are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart,
and let not those who are out in the country enter it; [22] for these are days of
vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. [23] Alas for those who are with child and
for those who give suck in those days! For great distress shall be upon the earth
and wrath upon this people; [24] they shall be upon the earth and wrath upon this
people; [24] they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led captive among all
nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of
the Gentiles are fulfilled.

[25] “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dis-
tress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, [26] men
fainting with fear and foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of
the heavens will be shaken. [27] And then they will see the Son of Man coming
in a cloud with power and great glory. [28] Now when these things begin to take
place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

20-24. Jesus gives quite a detailed prophecy of the destruction of the Holy City.
When the Christians living there saw the armies getting closer, they remembered
this prophecy and fled to Transjordan (cf. Eusebius, “Ecclesiastical History,” III,
5). Christ had advised them to flee as soon as possible because this is the time
when God would punish Jerusalem for its sins, as the Old Testament predicted
(Is 5:5-6).

Catholic tradition sees Israel as symbolizing the Church. In fact, in the Book of
Revelation the Church triumphant is called the heavenly Jerusalem (cf. Rev 21:2).
Therefore, by applying this passage to the Church, the sufferings the Holy City
experiences can symbolize the contradictions the pilgrim Church will experience
due to the sins of men, for “she herself takes her place among the creatures
which groan and travail yet and await the revelation of the children of God” Vati-
can II, “Lumen Gentium”, 48).

24. “The times of the Gentiles” means the period in which the Gentiles, who do
not belong to the Jewish people, will become members of the new people of God,
the Church, until the Jews themselves are converted at the end of the world (cf.
Rom 11:11-32).

25-26. Jesus refers to the dramatic changes in natural elements when the world
is coming to an end. “The powers of the heavens will be shaken”; that is to say,
the whole universe will tremble at the Lord’s coming in power and glory.

27-28. Applying to himself the prophecy of Daniel (7:13-14), our Lord speaks of
his coming in glory at the end of time. Mankind will see the power and glory of
the Son of man, coming to judge the living and the dead. Christ will deliver this
judgment in his human capacity. Sacred Scripture describes the solemnity of
this event, when the sentence passed on each person in the particular judgment
will be confirmed, and God’s justice and mercy to men throughout history will
shine out for all to see. “It was necessary not only that rewards should await the
just and punishments the wicked, in the life to come, but that they should be
awarded by a public and general judgment. Thus they will become better known
and will be rendered more conspicuous to all, and a tribute of praise will be of-
fered by all to the justice and providence of God” (”St Pius V Catechism”, I, 8,
4).

This coming of the Lord is, then, a day of terror for evildoers and of joy for those
who have remained faithful. The disciples should hold their heads high because
their redemption is at hand. It is the day they will receive their reward. The victo-
ry won by Christ on the cross — victory over sin, over the devil and over death —
will now be seen clearly, with all its implications. Therefore St Paul recommends
that we be “awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great
God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

“He [Christ] ascended into heaven whence he will come again to judge the living
and the dead, each according to his merits. Those who have responded to the
love and compassion of God will go into eternal life. Those who have refused
them to the end will be consigned to the fire that is never extinguished” (Paul VI,
“Creed of the People of God”, 12).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading	Daniel 6:12-28 ©

The presidents and satraps came along in a body and found Daniel praying and pleading with God. They then came to the king and said, ‘Have you not just signed an edict forbidding any man for the next thirty days to pray to anyone, god or man, other than to yourself O king, on pain of being thrown into the lions’ den?’ ‘The decision stands,’ the king replied ‘as befits the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.’ Then they said to the king, ‘O king, this man Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, disregards both you and the edict which you have signed: he is at his prayers three times each day.’ When the king heard these words he was deeply distressed, and determined to save Daniel; he racked his brains until sunset to find some way out. But the men came back in a body to the king and said, ‘O king, remember that in conformity with the law of the Medes and the Persians, no edict or decree can be altered when once issued by the king.’

The king then ordered Daniel to be fetched and thrown into the lion pit. The king said to Daniel, ‘Your God himself, whom you have served so faithfully, will have to save you.’ A stone was then brought and laid over the mouth of the pit; and the king sealed it with his own signet and with that of his noblemen, so that there could be no going back on the original decision about Daniel. The king returned to his palace, spent the night in fasting and refused to receive any of his concubines. Sleep eluded him, and at the first sign of dawn he was up, and hurried off to the lion pit. As he approached the pit he shouted in anguished tones, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God! Has your God, whom you serve so faithfully, been able to save you from the lions?’ Daniel replied, ‘O king, live for ever! My God sent his angel who sealed the lions’ jaws, they did me no harm, since in his sight I am blameless, and I have never done you any wrong either, O king.’ The king was overjoyed, and ordered Daniel to be released from the pit. Daniel was released from the pit, and found to be quite unhurt, because he had trusted in his God. The king sent for the men who had accused Daniel and had them thrown into the lion pit, they, their wives and their children: and they had not reached the floor of the pit before the lions had seized them and crushed their bones to pieces.

King Darius then wrote to men of all nations, peoples and languages throughout the world, ‘May peace be always with you! I decree: in every kingdom of my empire let all tremble with fear before the God of Daniel:

‘He is the living God, he endures for ever,

his sovereignty will never be destroyed

and his kingship never end.

He saves, sets free, and works signs and wonders

in the heavens and on earth;

he has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.’

Canticle	Daniel 3:68-74 ©

Dews and sleet! bless the Lord.