FINDING THE GOOD IN THE GOOD NEWS
Malachi 3:19-20a; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12; Luke 21:5-19
Good News! Glad Tidings! That’s what the word gospel literally means. And Matthew, Mark, Luke and John certainly provide us a lot of that. Good News! “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Good News! “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest." Good News! Our God is like a Good Shepherd who searches for us when we’re lost or have strayed from him. And, like a lamb, he lovingly places us on his shoulders and carries us back to green pastures and to the safety of his love. Good News! Jesus said, “No one has greater love than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” And that’s exactly the love he showed for us on the cross. Good News!
But where is the “good” in the Good News that we heard proclaimed in our gospel tonight? Stones thrown down; votive offerings overturned; nation rising up against nation; earthquakes, famine and plagues . . . I’m sure that’s not the message you came to church tonight expecting to hear. Good News? No . . . words like chaotic, frightening and depressing seem more like it. But just maybe there’s more to tonight’s gospel than what there seems to be on face value (as there usually is).
Tonight’s gospel begins with the disciples marveling at the glory of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple they looked at was one of the wonders of the world. It was made of carved blocks of greenish white marble, 67.5 feet long, 7.5 feet high and 9 feet thick. It was an impressive structure whose Eastern side was completely gold plated and precious gems were imbedded in the interior walls. It took over 40 years to build and its magnificence was hardly without equal. It was truly the house of God! No one could imagine anything damaging this building. It spoke of a strong God and a strong people.
But forty years later, what Jesus warned would happen actually came to pass. In 70 A.D. not only the temple, but the whole city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman army.
And nine years after that, Mount Vesuvius erupted in Italy, and the whole city of Pompeii was destroyed. The eruption created dreadful signs in the sky with huge clouds of dust and noxious fumes. Fiery ash dropped from heaven on the people below. Within days of the eruption there was widespread pestilence and famine.
And as if all of this wasn’t bad enough, the time of Christian persecution had now begun. People were under great threat merely for being Christians. They were arrested, tortured and put to death because of their unwavering faith in Jesus.
And so, for the people of that time, they now walked among the rubble of a world and of a life that had once given them joy, and security, and a sense of identity. The world had changed and their lives would never be the same again.
What about us? We may not like it – we may resist it, but the reality is, things do change. Sometimes changes are welcome. But there are days when change brings loss or the fear of loss. There are days when our life is forever changed, the world is different, and nothing is like it used to be.
You and I know those days. We could each tell stories about those days. They’re stories about the death of a loved one; they’re stories of a dire health diagnosis; they’re stories about our parent’s divorce; they’re stories of the day you didn’t make the team; they’re the stories about the day you realized the person you trusted wasn’t the person you thought they were; they’re stories about the day a relationship ended.
In the language of our tonight’s Gospel, the things we look to for stability can be referred to as our “temples”. Sometimes our temples are people, places, values, beliefs, or institutions. And, in that sense, temples are the things that we think give structure and order to our lives, give meaning and identity, provide security. At least we think they do, until they don’t anymore. And where does that leave us? What do we do when our temple falls, when our world crumbles and it seems there’s nothing for us to hold on to, and the only thing around us is the rubble of the life we loved and felt secure in?
To just these situations in our lives, Jesus has four things to say, four gems embedded in this gospel as were those precious stones in the walls of the temple.
He says:
Don’t be deceived…
Don’t be afraid…
I’ll give you a wisdom….
By your perseverance you will secure your lives…
In whatever confusion or conflict, whatever depression or disaster we find ourselves, Jesus says, “Don’t be deceived! Many will come promising what only I can give. And you’ll be tempted to think I’ve abandoned you, forgotten you. You’ll wonder what you did to deserve such suffering. But don’t be deceived. I am never the source of your suffering. I come to you only with healing and strength and mercy; I come to be with you, to take your hand, and to lead you through the darkest of your days.”
And to us in our fears, Jesus says, “Don’t be terrified! Don’t be afraid! There’s nothing you can’t face if you stand with me, and I’ll stand by you in everything that comes your way. I’ll be your courage when you are frightened. I’ll be your strength when yours is exhausted. I’ll be your guide when you’re lost, your guard when you’re alone.”
And in our confusion Jesus tells us, “I’ll give you wisdom . . . I’ll help you understand. When you are conflicted, I’ll give you my counsel. When you don’t know what to do, I’ll lead you to the truth. When nothing makes sense, when everything’s too complex, come to me and in the simplicity of my heart’s love and mercy and peace, find a place to rest.”
And in our hopelessness, Jesus says, “By your perseverance, you will secure your lives . . . You’re never alone, I’m always at your side. When you’ve run out of hope for tomorrow, trust in me for today. When the future seems impossible, trust that it’s in my hands. Hold fast my hand in yours and, together, we’ll walk on, one day at a time, one hour at a time. Stay with me and I will stay with you: by your perseverance, you will secure your life.”
And isn’t THAT the good in the Good News tonight . . . that God is always with us – in the changes and chaos of life; in the pain, loss, and disappointment; in the destruction of our temples. Stone by stone He rebuilds our life. Stone by stone God restores the beauty of our life and world. Stone by stone a new temple arises from the rubble.
So whatever burdens you came to Mass with tonight, now is the time to lay them down at the foot of the Cross and at the table of the Lord, where he gives us, in the sacrifice, in the sacrament of the Eucharist the building blocks for a new temple - the companionship, the courage, the wisdom and the hope to live, one day at a time, in his mercy, in his peace and in his love
And that REALLY is GOOD NEWS!
