The Great Tribulation

Today's Reflections

The Great Tribulation 

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Lk 21:20-28

[Jesus said to his disciples,] ²⁰“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its desolation is at hand. ²¹Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Let those within the city escape from it, and let those in the countryside not enter the city, ²²for these days are the time of punishment when all the scriptures are fulfilled. ²³Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days, for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth and a wrathful judgment upon this people. ²⁴They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

²⁵“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. ²⁶People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”

Reflection:

Stand erect and raise your heads. The evangelist writes his gospel after Jerusalem and the temple have been destroyed by the Roman army under Titus Vespasian in 70 AD. Of the travails of Jerusalem, the Gospel is a combination of what Jesus predicted and an account of the tragedy from Luke’s own sources.

The destruction of Jerusalem is a portent of another event in salvation history: “the time of punishment when all the scriptures are fulfilled.” It signals Christ’s return in glory to judge humankind. Like the end of Jerusalem, there will be disaster and destruction. Yet there is redemption. For anyone living according to God’s ways and fulfilling God’s will, there is nothing to worry. The end of the world will mark God’s final, definitive, and ultimate victory over sin and death. Jesus urges us to remain faithful. He is coming to save us. So why be afraid?

What is your greatest fear?

How do you overcome your fears

through your Christian faith?