November 16, 2025 at Saint William and Saint Peter Churches in Naples, FL
Malachi 3: 19-20 + Psalm 98 + 2 Thessalonians 3: 7-12 + Luke 21: 5-19
The Gospel writer places Jesus next to the Temple as he speaks of its destruction. There is temptation to suggest that this destruction means the end of Judaism and its worship, but that could not be further from the truth or the intention of Luke and Jesus. The Temple comes down, and in fact, is already down when Luke writes this Gospel, but Jesus stands because a new place of worship is now in and through the body of Jesus.
The whole idea of this change and the ruthless and violent suppression of the Jewish revolt against the Romans has shaken the confidence of those who listen to Jesus that day. His prophetic description of the changes to come scares them to death. You can almost hear their knees knocking as they cry out: “When will this happen, and what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?”
However, those signs that unfold in this vision of Jesus are really less about world events than about how the faithful respond to changes that are inevitable in this world. Nothing is permanent, and our raging and railing to preserve the cultural status quo is like chasing the wind. That the Temple could not last forever was not a prophecy as much as it was a simple fact of life. Monuments topple, and all things human change. How we stand in the face of change is the issue.
The work of disciples is to be on guard against “messiahs” who draw people to themselves and manipulate people’s fears in a changing world. A disciple will name these counterfeits, and stand between their lies and people in pain and need. Jesus warns these disciples not to be “led astray” by those who come with easy answers to giant complex questions.
The consequences of taking such a stand will result in hostility within families, cities, and nations. Yet, without it, Christians can grow dull and slip into narcissistic behavior filled with insignificant busyness and silence that comes from a shallow unreflective faith. The end result is a complete loss of conscience and a deafening silence while the cries of the poor are overwhelmed by sound of political rallies or tanks rolling in the streets.
Deciding not to rock the boat is also a decision not to steer the boat. Dr. King once said: “Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.”
The troubling days in which we live demand the resuscitation of conscience. Without it, we risk a terrible judgment. The standard of success for us is endurance, so the last words of Jesus in this reading must lift us up. “By your endurance you will gain your souls.” We ought not be concerned with predicting the end of the world or with stopping change. We should be concerned with living by the call of Jesus for resolute conviction, in spite of opposition even when family and friends cut us off. We do not live by seeking signs of the future, but by raising up signs of conscience, calling for peace, justice, and reconciliation in the name of Jesus Christ.