St. Theresa Catholic Church

Have you ever visited a church or historical building that took your breath away? I hope you had this experience at least once in your life.  When we hear this Sunday’s Gospel, it is easy to imagine the pilgrims or tourists admiring the temple. It is also easy to imagine how shocked they would have been to hear Jesus’s prediction that the structure would someday be destroyed.

The Temple was one of those things that defined who the Jews were as God’s chosen people. The temple was where they encountered God in a direct way , it was God’s dwelling on earth. It would have been unimaginable to live in the world. By the time that Luke writes his gospel, the temple has been demolished. The Jews struggled to make sense of their terrible loss.

In the end time discourse, Jesus talked to the crowd about destruction, terror and death that will embody the end of the world for his followers. Life, as they know it, will come to an end. Jesus isn’t saying IF the destruction and persecution comes, he is saying that IT will Happen.

This weekend, we are reminded that all hell might break loose around us, Jesus stands with us, asking us to give our witness to the world and to offer our testimony with courage and faith. Jesus makes a promise “Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand”. The wisdom of Jesus reminds us that there is more to life than we can see. Those times of persecution are opportunities to give witness to the power and mercy of God. Jesus tells the people not to be afraid of the upheavals of history. He is asking them and us, today, to continue to trust and to put our hope in God.

While we know that the world will pass away and that nothing will last forever, we stand strong in our faith. Our world can be very challenging and can be tranquil. Our challenge is to give thanks to God, that life is a gift, and challenge ourselves to be examples to our family, our community and to the world.

SOCIAL SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS:  Please join us on the 1st Saturday and/or the 2nd Sunday of each month for food and fellowship.   

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