flee to the mountains! If you are in Jerusalem, leave! If you are outside the city, don’t enter it!
For these will be the days of its punishment, and all that was announced in the Scriptures
will be fulfilled. How hard will it be for pregnant women, and for mothers with babies at the
breast! For a great calamity will come upon the land, and wrath upon this people. They will
be put to death by the sword, or taken as slaves to other nations; and Jerusalem will be
trampled upon by the pagans, until the time of the pagans is fulfilled. Then there will be signs
in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish of nations, perplexed when they hear
the roaring of the sea and its waves. People will faint with fear at the mere thought of what
is to come upon the world, for the forces of the universe will be shaken. Then, at that time,
they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. So, when you
see things begin to happen, stand erect and lift up your heads, for your deliverance is
drawing near.”

Reflect

“Rising above ourselves.” Being deceived by what seems to be pleasing in appearance
could lead to plagues, famines and wars. Just think of the ongoing environmental
destruction everywhere and of escalating wars. We cannot deny the fact that the root cause
of many of the sufferings of people today are manmade. Human beings are deceived by the
allurements of power and wealth. The Gospel passage for today implies that the destruction
of Jerusalem was also manmade. It happened out of man’s thirst for power and wealth.
Human beings, hooked in this web of wealth and power, had intensified sufferings and
made life unbearable. But the Gospel’s message for today does not end without hope.
Jesus gave us the assurance that when we begin to experience these things, we
have to stand erect because our salvation is at hand. In our present time, Pope Francis has
articulated the same reality and its corresponding challenges. His Holiness, in his Laudato Si’,
says: “Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above
themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start, despite their mental and
social conditioning.” (LS 205) There is hope. We are capable of rising above ourselves.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2024