Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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As the people were looking at the Temple and admiring its beauty, Jesus was preparing to give a lesson on the temporary nature of things and the fleeting reality of life.
He said to those admiring the marble, gold and costly stones of the Temple — “The days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”
As we move through the month of November, the Church asks us to contemplate that fact that all physical things will come to an end, not only the buildings we construct. Even our bodies will reach their expiration date.
The beautiful Temple in Jerusalem would be completely destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. And we visit the graves of our loved ones who have died.
And life itself, while good for a time, can quickly turn sour. Jesus predicted that his early followers who enjoyed sharing his company would eventually be hunted down and persecuted because they were associated with him — the blood of the early Christians flowed in a steady stream of martyrdom. In our own time, we have places where the joy of Christians can quickly be turned to sorrow from acts of violence and prejudice. Life is fleeting!
Yet, Jesus assures us that as temples come and go, and as life sometimes is difficult for people of faith, “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
You see, there is something that does last in God’s universe. The soul. And we also believe with faith that our bodies will rise up again from their graves in a resurrection similar to that of Jesus himself. We will have spiritualized, glorified bodies too. There are some things that God wants to preserve forever. He will sustain all that is good in us! His love is everlasting! And he has poured his love into us. That part of us will never end — God’s love for us is eternal.
When I was preparing this reflection, a line from one of the psalms came to mind: “Give us joy to balance our affliction.”
The Lord will always give us reason to hope even when temples fall and persecutions rise — because our joy will eventually be eternal.
Let us, then, persevere in faith, until the time of our salvation.
Have a blessed week everyone.