“‘… When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.’ Then He said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.'”
Mass Readings – MassTimes.org – TheCatholicDirectory.com – VIDEO: Daily Mass – Toronto – VIDEO: Daily Mass – Boston/Catholic TV
FIRST READING: Revelation 14:1-3, 4B-5
Saint John continues to have his vision of the Apocalypse. He sees “One … like a Son of Man,” with sickle in Hand, ready to reap the fully ripe harvest of humanity on earth. In the Gospels, Christ refers to Himself as Son of Man, and here the Son of Man is wearing a gold crown. With the help of Angels, the earth is harvested and the result thrown into the wine press of God’s Fury.
… sitting on the cloud One who looked like a Son of Man, with a gold crown on His Head and a sharp sickle in His Hand. Another Angel came out of the temple, crying out … ‘Use Your sickle and reap the harvest, for the time … has come … the earth’s harvest is fully ripe.’
… the one who was sitting on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
… another angel came out of the temple in Heaven … also had a sharp sickle. … another angel came from the altar … in charge of the fire, and cried out in a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, ‘Use your sharp sickle and cut the clusters from the earth’s vines, for its grapes are ripe. So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and cut the earth’s vintage. He threw it into the great wine press of God’s fury.
Holy Mother Church continues to focus on the end times in the Mass Readings as we approach Advent. Even though we think of the approaching season of Advent as an anticipation of the Nativity of Christ, the focus on the end times reminds us of the over-arching need to anticipate Christ’s Second Coming, and to reorder our lives to prepare for eternity.
The Lord comes to judge the earth.
When people observe costly adornments of the temple, Jesus reveals that the temple will be destroyed, with no stone left upon another.
They ask Jesus whether there will signs of what is to occur. While the exchange starts with a focus on the temple, one gathers that Christ starts talking about the end times.
There will be false claims by third parties about being the Messiah, as well as wars, insurrections, earthquakes, famines, plagues, and spectacular signs in the sky.
““See that you not be deceived, for many will come in My Name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.’
Then He said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.’
Note that there apparently will be an unfolding of events, across multiple stages. For example, Christ says that when the wars occur they must happen first, yet will not immediately lead to “the end.” He also exhorts us “do not be terrified.”
At the same time, Holy Scripture cautions us repeatedly to be vigilant, and to be prepared, both for our own passing and for the return of Christ.
