Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 159

See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.'

Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end."

Many Catholic scripture scholars believe that Saint Luke wrote his gospel after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D; and the prediction we hear in today's gospel described what had already occurred. An efficient Roman army razed Herod's temple, leaving hardly a stone upon another. If some Jews believed the temple must last until the end of the world, they had seen the end of the world.

Few of us want to see history actually happen; we'd rather read about it in books; but sometimes it marches right through our lives, effectively destroying the world we knew so well. The fall of Jerusalem marked a turning point in Jewish history and altered the religion forever. Their world would never be the same, and their worship of God would create an indestructible "palace in time;" -- the Sabbath​ -- rather than a stone building.

Jerusalem's fall meant little to the burgeoning Church; it is not directly mentioned in the New Testament although it happened within that era. Even formerly-Jewish Christians, hearing of the tragedy, turned their attention to their faith in Jesus. Learning from the experience they could appreciate today's warning. They would not follow every charlatan who claimed to be the messiah, nor would they overreact to rumors of war and insurrection. The practice of faith is not maintaining an edgy expectation of apocalypse.

The missionary apostle Saint Paul offered himself as an example of how to live in the new reality, as we hear in today's reading. The Lord had sent him to the nations to announce freedom in the face of oppression. No one should live in fear, for the Lord has conquered sin and death. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, nor should there be a fear of death.

The Roman empire operated on the same principles as every other government: power, punishment, and fear. Those willing to go along to get along could enjoy relative freedom, provided they weren't associated with certain troublesome parties. 

Religions that reinforced government threats were approved; those that defied them were crushed. The Jews were suspect because they showed no interest in the Roman gods and their superstitious practices. They were willing to live in the empire and to enjoy its political and economic stability, but they worshiped a different God and followed a different calendar of prayer. The first persecutions that Christians suffered in Rome were actually directed at Jews.

However, Christians practiced even more freedom than the Jews, because they dismissed the pharisaic reading of the Law of Moses. The Pharisees, unfortunately, sought to ease the threat of Roman violence by maintaining a non-political, domestic version of religion. They kept the customs but quietly, without ostentation. They paid their Roman taxes, they curried favor with the powerful, and they directed their zeal toward a scrupulously irrelevant attention to religious minutiae, i.e. the tithing of mint and rue and every garden herb. The Christian who believed that Jesus had fulfilled the law and the prophets, invited both Roman suspicion and Jewish hostility.

In November, when Christians ponder Death and Judgement, Heaven and Hell, and Americans judge their government, we should hear the warnings of Jesus, "Do not be deceived...; Do not be terrified...; By perseverance you will secure your lives." 

Those who act out of fear are not free. They are controlled by their enemies.

"For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.