Thy Kingdom Come

Praying and preparing for the Parousia

11/17/2019

Luke 21:5-19 While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, "All that you see here-- the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down." Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?" He answered, "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.

One day God was looking down from heaven and he was deeply disappointed with what he saw on earth: the sin, the vanity, the politics, the corruption. He decided it was time for the end of the world. He called together all the heads of state and informed them he would destroy the world in 24 hours. He added: “I leave to you the responsibility of announcing this to your respective people.”

President Barack Obama said: “My fellow Americans, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that God exists, and he has spoken to me. The bad news is that our great nation, and the American dream, will disappear in 24 hours. This is the will of God.” Fidel Castro gathered all the Cubans and solemnly said: “Compatriots, my fellow Communists, I have two pieces of bad news. The first bad news is that God exists and he has spoken to me.” (God’s exists is bad news for Communists.) “The second bad news is that our world Marxist revolution will end in 24 hours. It is God’s will.”

Later that evening, Nicolas Sarkosy interrupted the evening news on French television and declared with a smile: “Today is a very special day for all of us! Why? I have two pieces of good news to announce. The first is that I am the messenger of God. The second good news is that within 24 hours, the problem of unemployment, the financial crisis, removals at the border, corruption, violence, tax increases will all be solved. I keep my campaign promises!” Only politicians try to score political points with the Parousia, the end of the world. Some people see the end of the world as “bad news” and others see it as “good news.” How would you react to the end of the world?

In the gospel today, Jesus is pretty deeply disappointed in the Jewish people of his day and announces the end of their world. Our Lord declares: “all that you see here (pointing to the Temple) – the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Jesus was referring to the massive stones of the Jerusalem Temple that, 40 years’ later, would lie in ruins, when the Roman armies would when the level Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D. The Temple represented for the Jews the White House, Capitol Hill, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Pentagon, and Fort Knox all rolled into one. The end of the Temple was effectively the end of their way of life.

Politicians in Jesus’ day would also try to score political points with the Parousia. Therefore Jesus adds: “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.” In other words, do not let people preempt the Parousia for personal profit, rather, keep your eyes on Jesus, and all will be well, indeed, all will be good news. How so? The Jews saw the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple as “bad news” because it was the end of their world, the world of the Old Testament. But Christians would see the same phenomenon as “good news,” as the dawn of a new world, the world of the New Testament and the birth pangs of the Church. That’s the good news of the Parousia: the end of one world is the beginning of another world, a better world.

My friends, may I suggest three ways we can prepare for the Parousia, the end of the world? First of all, pray for the Parousia. Did you know that every time we recite the Our Father, the Lord’s Prayer, that is exactly what we do? One of the seven petitions of the Lord Prayer is: “Thy kingdom come.” What does that mean? We beg Jesus to come back in his glory at the end of time. And the sooner the better! When we pray the Our Father, we pray for the Parousia; we pray for the end of the world.

Secondly, train your thoughts and harness your hearts to see the Parousia as good news rather than bad news. I love the aphorism: “Don’t let the good become the enemy of the best.” In other words, do not become so attached to the good things of this world that you lose your taste for the best things of heaven. Have you ever stuffed yourself on the appetizers before a meal that you didn’t really want to eat the main course? Sometimes we stuff ourselves with this world and don’t have much of an appetite for the “marriage supper of the Lamb,” the gourmet meal of glory described in Rev. 19:9. By the way, that’s why Catholics are required to fast for an hour before Mass. Why? So that the good does not becomes the enemy of the best. Chips and salsa do not become the enemy of carne asada nor the enemy of Holy Communion.

And thirdly, practice for the Parousia. How do you do that? Well, what did the Greek word “Parousia” originally mean? Instead of “the end of the world,” the original meaning of “Parousia” was “presence” especially that of a conquering hero returning home. Do you recall how a couple of years ago the Cubs returned home to Chicago after winning the World Series in Cleveland in 2016? Their presence in Chi-town after that great victory and the cheers and praises of the crowds gives you a glimpse of the Parousia. And I don’t even like the Cubs! Folks, when does Jesus, the conquering Hero return to his people to shouts of joy and celebration? He does that not only at the end of time, but also at every Mass. Every Mass is a mini-Parousia, when the king returns in glory and we should sing hymns of praise, a lot more than we cheer for our favorite sports team. At every Mass, we practice the Parousia.

When will the world end? I certainly don’t know when it will, but I certainly know that it will. But I also know that, if we pray for the Parousia in the Our Father, if we fast for the Parousia from the good things of earth, and if we practice the Parousia at every Mass, then, the end of the world will feel a lot more like good news and a lot less like bad news.

Praised be Jesus Christ!