If you have a Facebook account, like I
do, over time you get more and more “friends”. I have a number
of them – people I've known in the past or people who are friends
of my friends and somehow got on my feed. I glance through their
posts now and then, but almost never reply or “like” or comment.
Facebook can be a time waster in many ways.
One of my facebook friends is an
extremely liberal woman. She frequently posts about the terrible
things people are doing that make life hard for minorities, people of
color, immigrants, the LGBT community. She is very active in many
organizations that champion their rights.
The day after Trump was elected, she
posted a very long piece about how we could expect people to be
rounded up and put in prison camps for being gay; trains full of
illegal immigrants would be shipped to Mexico and could never return
because of a giant wall on the border; women would be afraid to
venture out on the street because our new president is a sexist pig
and probably a rapist as well; and worst of all, her little children
would never know when that knock on the door would come – just like
Nazi Germany. I suspect many citizens of Massachusetts and members
of this parish feel the same way, probably not so extreme; but being
from Montana, I've also seen long posts about how the world would end
if Hilary Clinton was elected. These posts usually predicted that
Catholics would have to go underground; our institutions would be
taxed out of existence; our hospitals would be forced to perform
partial birth abortions and our priests would have to officiate at
same-sex marriages – trains full of illegal immigrants would be
imported from Mexico and delivered to a neighborhood near you – and
the list goes on and on.
Today our Gospel reading begins with
the apostles staring at the Temple. They had grown up around
Galilee, which was the sticks, so Jerusalem must have been like New
York City. The Temple in Jerusalem might have been one of the
largest buildings in the world at that time, and a temple had been in
that exact spot for about a thousand years. To Jewish people, this
was the very center of their universe, and it was hard to think about
a world in which the Temple did not exist. Jesus predicts that it
will be leveled, not a stone will be left on a stone. But he goes on
to say, not only will the temple fall, but catastrophes of every kind
will happen; nations will rise against nations – that's still
happening; earthquakes – check. Famines – we still have them.
Pestilences – ebola, the zika virus. And other fearful events –
like presidential elections.
And Jesus goes on to promise that in
addition to all these things, our own friends and family will turn on
us, maybe even to the point of death. If the terrible things that
people think are going to happen under Trump actually occur, – or
if Mrs. Clinton had been elected a different set of terrible things –
well, Jesus said we shouldn't be surprised.
But Jesus tells us two things. First
– and this just happened on a national level – in times of great
turmoil we are always tempted to look for someone to lead us, and we
endow our chosen leader with almost magical powers. Many Trump
supporters actually believe he will make things right, he will
correct all the things which seem to threaten our security. And
Clinton supporters felt the same way – hers would be an era of
great progress and somehow her approach would lead to peace and the
end of turmoil. Jesus says, don't listen to people who come and say,
“I am he”. Don't listen to people who tell you that they are the
only ones who can keep the world from falling apart. In our
presidential elections unless you are completely non-political, it's
hard to follow Jesus' counsel, so we do listen, and to some extent,
believe what we hear.
Jesus also tells us that we can count
on him no matter what happens. If we are steadfast, if we are living
in his friendship, then even if those closest to us turn on us and
betray us – and they do – it isn't the end of the world, because
Jesus is with us and that's what really matters.
So today's gospel is a gospel of hope,
because Jesus is promising us that no matter what happens, we, his
followers, will have the opportunity to bear witness to Him, and he
will give us the words to speak, the actions to carry out. In a way,
he is telling us that if we are steadfast, he will be there with us.
And we know that the early Christians certainly believed that, even
to the point of death.
Jesus is saying, whatever you think is
permanent, it isn't. Whatever you think is central, maybe it isn't.
The Temple which had stood for a thousand years certainly wasn't.
What is permanent and central, though, even through prison and
persecution and death, is the relationship we have with our savior.
And if I keep my eyes focused on Him, nothing that happens can make a
dent. Not a hair on my head will be harmed, even if I am put to
death. Kind of an odd thought, but I think Jesus is reminding us
that whether I am beheaded by a member of Isis or killed in a
drive-by shooting on the streets of Springfield or Holyoke, or die
in my bed of old age, my real home is not here, my true life is in
Christ in the heart of the Trinity, and I am in that life even now.
I am not a fan of our new President;
but who knows? Maybe I will be in a year or so. But I'm pretty sure
we won't be a very different country four years from now; nothing
will change very much. And in four years we will again bemaking
apocalyptic predictions about the terrible things that will happen if
the person we don't like gets elected. Because we always seem to do
that. Jesus' words today comfort us and remind us that God has
everything under control, and we are God's beloved, and life eternal
is His promise to us.
