Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Luke 21,5-11

When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, he said, 'All these things you are staring at now -- the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another; everything will be destroyed.' And they put to him this question, 'Master,' they said, 'when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that it is about to take place?' But he said, 'Take care not to be deceived, because many will come using my name and saying, "I am the one" and "The time is near at hand." Refuse to join them. And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified, for this is something that must happen first, but the end will not come at once.' Then he said to them, 'Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines in various places; there will be terrifying events and great signs from heaven.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The moment to believe in the Gospel has already come; it is here and now. The decision to follow Jesus should not be postponed. Either we make it now, or we risk postponing it forever. The future and salvation are not guaranteed by the magnificent construction of the temple, nor in our human constructions, even if they are religious, but only in complete faith in Jesus and in the choice to follow him. This is faith. Unfortunately often we run the risk of thinking that it is an adherence to abstract truths. Faith is much easier and more involving: it is falling in love with Jesus. This faith, full of love and personal involvement, is the true solid corner stone on which the present and future of our life can be built. It is also the corner stone of the society in which we live. Indeed we are not isolated stones but part of a building that the Lord builds with us starting now. It is necessary then to watch out for false prophets, for those outside us, such as the fashion and habits of this world, but also of those hidden in the hearts of each of us, such as habits, pride, and love of self. These false prophets destroy; they do not build. The only true prophecy that enlightens our days is the Gospel. And it is the strength of the Gospel that stops us from resigning ourselves to evil and to hopeless present. Still today we see peoples who battle each against the other; conflicts that tear apart entire populations and causes innumerable victims, or even other horrible events that scare people and cause fear. But in front of this world that cannot achieve peace, the Lord asks us to be workers of peace and witnesses of hope in a future of salvation. Faith is choosing to walk with Jesus in the certainty that the strength of the resurrection will bend the prince of this world, and the force of evil will be conquered by the power of the Lord's love.