Look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near

"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."

- Luke 21:20-28

In yesterday's reading, Jesus responded to the admiration of the beautiful and fabulous temple at Jerusalem, a truly wondrous great structure. He warned His listeners: "These things which you see -- the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down." In explaining His words, Jesus combines a discussion of the destruction of the temple and the times of the end of the age - and His return. He said, "Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them." Jesus warned of wars and upheavals, but also of the times to come of persecution and betrayals - but all will be opportunity for witnessing, testimony. He teaches endurance, and not even to prepare for testimony, for He will provide "a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist." But "by your patience, Jesus says, "possess your souls."

"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." My study bible notes that this is "a prediction of the siege and capture of Jerusalem by Titus, son of the Emperor Vespasian, in A.D. 70. Damage included the total destruction of the temple." This is a vivid description, indeed, of what is to come in Jerusalem. We recall Jesus words of lament, earlier in Luke's Gospel, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!" and elsewhere also reported by Luke: As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, "If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace!"

"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near." My study bible says, "Cosmic as well as historical upheavals will precede the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. The expectation of Christ's return sums up the Christian hope and constitutes an important doctrine of the Church." And here we have the end of the Age - the return of the Son of Man. We don't know why the Gospels arrange this discussion in this way, but surely in the minds of His listeners the two events are tied unequivocally: the destruction of the temple and the coming of the Son of Man. Indeed, in some sense, I believe we are to view ourselves as still living in this time period in which we await His return - so, indeed, in a cosmic sense, the two events are linked and it is but our perception of time which makes it seem as if they are separate from one another. We still live in a time of upheavals in the world and persecutions (such as were related by Jesus in yesterday's reading). We remain in a time when we await, with watchfulness, and we must "take heed that we not be deceived" concerning His return.

Thomas Merton wrote an essay (in the book, "Raids on the Unspeakable") about the time in which we live. It is an essay often associated with Advent, and so it is indeed a "proper time" to mention it. Merton speaks of the great Roman census, for which Joseph and the pregnant Mary have traveled to Bethlehem, the ancestral town of David (Joseph's forbear). But when they arrive, there is no room for them. Merton called the essay, "The Time of No Room" and explained how we do indeed, live in the same time, awaiting His return. Thomas Merton wrote: "We live in a time of no room, which is the time of the end. The time when everyone is obsessed with lack of time, lack of space, with saving time, conquering space, projecting into time and space the anguish produced within them by the technological furies of size, volume, quantity, speed, number, price, power, and acceleration." And he continued, "Into this world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ has come uninvited. With those for whom there is no room, Christ is present in this world." We must remember that in today's reading Jesus is speaking to His flock of followers, and warning them of what is to come, what "time" it is they are approaching, indeed, what time is being fulfilled. Let us consider, then, the dismay of His followers and what they are to encounter and to endure, and think of ourselves as the extension of that flock. We still live in this time of upheaval, and lack of time, and wars and nations that rise and fall. We live in a world of the broken, in which He is so often forgotten, and those who love Him may suffer for doing so. As Advent approaches, let us make room for Christ - and recall that throughout these Gospels, those who would become His followers, as Thomas Merton wrote, are so often the ones for whom there is no room. From the Samaritan leper to the poor widow who gave all she had for the love of God, and so many others, time and again, Jesus finds the broken and cast away and they become His followers. Shall we remember the Child for whom there was no room? Let that be our Advent meditation for today - as we heed and remember His warning to not be deceived. He is here among us, in our midst, within us - for all who love Him.