Reading for the Day: Luke 21's Punch Line

The Gospel for this entire week has been based on Luke 21. 

It starts off with Jesus noticing the widow who gave her two coins to the temple. I think what's barely noticed are the next few lines from Tuesday's Gospel. (While) "Some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings." And from there Luke 21 becomes eschatological. 

In response to others' observations about the costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus says "All that you see here? The days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down." And this pretty much sets the mood for the rest of the chapter (and it goes way beyond temples that are destroyed).

But the point of all the apocalyptic scenarios is that they are a preamble to the coming of the kingdom. And here and there Jesus seems to be saying, trust me, do not be terrified, the kingdom is coming, your redemption is at hand. In today's Gospel he says, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away". That seems to seal the deal. Trust me, all of this shall pass. Redemption is at hand. 

I notice that we sometimes miss the punch line in prayer. The punch line for me of the Prayer for Generosity, for example, is "Save that of knowing that I do your most holy will" but we often get distracted by "to give and not to count the costs, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to labor and ask not for reward". The punch line for me of Take and Receive is "Give me only your love and your grace, that's enough for me" but we get distracted by "Take and Receive, my liberty, my will, my mind, my memory, all things I hold and all I own are thine, thine was the gift to thee I all resign". We are afraid we cannot do everything we say we want to do and forget that there is something basic we are asking for toward the end.

I think it is the same with the apocalyptic readings. Amidst all the warnings of catastrophe, Jesus says, "trust me, this too shall pass". Or as my mother would say, have faith.