The time of punishment

The Gospel passage reminds us of Jesus' lament over the destruction of the City of Jerusalem as punishment for not recognizing the day of his visitation.

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Now, it is repeated, and it is even more dramatic as it gives more details about how it will be destroyed.

There will be so much violence and bloodshed. Women and children will not be spared. There will be no place to hide.

Also, the second part of the Gospel picks up what Jesus has said about the signs on earth and up in the sky.

Jesus tells his disciples to stand tall and ready to embrace their final redemption. No one is comfortable about the end times as described in the Gospel.

The text should not terrorize us; it is to help us face with faith and courage the unsettling future. We should be ready.

REFLECTIONS TODAY

First Reading. Dn 6:12-28

Some men rushed into the upper chamber of Daniel's home and found him praying and pleading before his God. Then they went to remind the king about the prohibition:

"Did you not decree, O king, that no one is to address a petition to god or man for 30 days, except to you, O king; otherwise he shall be cast into a den of lions?"

The king answered them, "The decree is absolute, irrevocable under the Mede and Persian law."