At that time, 5 some people were talking about the Temple, which was decorated with beautiful stones and votive offerings.

 At that time, 5 some people were talking about the Temple, which was decorated with beautiful stones and votive offerings. Jesus said to them, 6 "Do you marvel at these things? The days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; everything will be destroyed." 7 But they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen? And what will be the sign that these things are about to take place?" 8 Jesus answered, "Watch out or you will be deceived. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is near.' Do not follow such people. 9 When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be alarmed. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away." 10 And Jesus said to them, "Nation will rise up against nation, and nation will attack nation. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in many places. Fearful things will happen, and great signs will be seen in the sky."

— The Word of the Lord.

Reflection

1. First of all, it is important to emphasize, in order to enter into this eschatological discourse of Luke, a very important sequence of salvific actions: the moment of creation, the fall of man, the preparation of the people of God, the judgment of Jerusalem, the time of the Church and the coming of the Son of Man. In this sequence, we can emphasize the historical-salvific and ecclesial aspects. As for the historicity of the issue, we know that the time of the promise has come to an end, a time has reached its peak, a new reality has emerged. God's plan reaches its apex in Jesus Christ, dead and resurrected. Jerusalem undergoes a judgment, which prefigures the final judgment.

2. The strongest prefigurative sign is precisely the destruction of the Temple, the central place of the faith of the people of God. While many are enchanted by the physical beauty of the building, Jesus declares its end, its uselessness in the New and Eternal Covenant. Jesus' gaze was turned to another reality that was more important, more significant and essential in his mission. It is about the human person, especially those who humbly abandon themselves to the will of the Lord. His gaze was fixed on that Centurion; on the poor widow who asked HIM to heal her daughter; on the other sad widow who was taking her only son to the cemetery; on Peter, when he publicly renounced his intimacy with the Savior; on those who were responsible for His death, when He asked the Father for forgiveness for all, because they were unaware of the gravity of what they were doing. The heart of Jesus follows the logic of those who see people and not things in themselves. However, the way of thinking of the man of His time was different. For the Jewish people, the Temple was the most precious wonder of the world.

3. When will the end be? Jesus does not say. The date is not important to Him. Many will cling to the end of times, will set dates and do absurd things, will confuse others with unbalanced, false and extravagant speeches; will approach others in order to obtain some benefit or profit from people's fear. In fact, many false prophets will arise, Jesus said, many deceivers, falsifiers of the Word of God, many illusionists of faith and creators of religious companies. Then Jesus clearly warns: "Do not follow in their footsteps!" In addition to false prophecy, nations will rise against nations, earthquakes, famine, plagues, phenomena never seen before and signs in the sky. Day will turn into night, night into day, terror, corruption, etc. What can we say about all this? Is Jesus scaring his disciples with this subject? Certainly not: "Do not be terrified," He said.

4. Jesus teaches and motivates his disciples. They will be arrested, persecuted, handed over to the synagogues, taken before kings and governors because of His name. They will even be betrayed by their family and friends, even causing the death of some of them. They will be hated because of the very name of Jesus, which does not promise peace according to the worldly mentality, sophistication and ease offered by the world. What they did with the Master, they will also do with their disciples. What Jesus asks for is faith, coherence and perseverance, trust in His victory and His defense. He is the Good Shepherd, who will take care of his flock in all the most difficult moments of their lives. If they find themselves, due to slander and persecution, before unjust authorities, they will have the Holy Spirit as their Defender. The important thing is that each one does not follow worldly ideas and values, but lives a life of fidelity and total communion with the Lord.

5. The disciples are invited to bear witness, in the time of the Church, with their lives, to Jesus Christ our Lord; a testimony that will be carried out by "standing firm", in order to conquer eternal life. Let each one, within the Luke perspective, take into account what happened to those who were martyred because of Jesus. Without becoming discouraged, seeing the examples of their ancestors, let them maintain their hope in the coming of the Son of Man, at the time determined by God, according to his designs. And may they still be vigilant, in prayer and in the courageous proclamation of the Word.