The widow’s mite
1Jesus looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasure box; 2he also saw a poor widow dropping in two small coins. 3And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow put in more than all of them. 4For all gave an offering from their plenty, but she, out of her poverty, gave all she had to live on.”
Signs before the destruction of Jerusalem
5 ① While some people were talking about the Temple, remarking that it was adorned with fine stone work and rich gifts, Jesus said to them, 6“The days will come when there shall not be left one stone upon another of all that you now admire; all will be torn down.” 7And they asked him, “Master, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?”
8Jesus then said, “Take care not to be deceived, for many will come claiming my title and saying: ‘I am he, the Messiah; the time is at hand.’ Do not follow them. 9When you hear of wars and troubled times, don’t be frightened; for all this must happen first, even though the end is not so soon.”
10And Jesus said, “Nations will fight each other and kingdom will oppose kingdom. 11There will be great earthquakes, famines and plagues; in many places strange and terrifying signs from heaven will be seen. 12Before all this happens, people will lay their hands on you and persecute you; you will be delivered to the Jewish courts and put in prison, and for my sake you will be brought before kings and governors. 13This will be your opportunity to bear witness.
14So keep this in mind: do not worry in advance about what to answer, 15for I will give you words and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. 16You will be betrayed even by parents, and brothers, by relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death. 17But even though you are hated by all for my name’s sake, 18not a hair of your head will perish. 19Through perseverance you will possess your own selves.
20When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you must know that the time has come when it will be reduced to a wasteland. 21Then, if you are in Judea, flee to the mountains; if you are in the city, leave it; and let those who are in the fields not return to the city.
22For these will be the days of its punishment and all that was announced in the Scripture will be fulfilled. 23How hard will it be for pregnant women and for mothers with babies at the breast! For a great calamity will come upon the land, and divine justice upon this people. 24They will be put to death by the sword or taken as slaves to other nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled upon by the pagans until the time of the pagans is fulfilled.
The coming of the Son of Man
25Then there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish of perplexed nations when they hear the roaring of the sea and its waves. 26People will faint with fear at the mere thought of what is to come upon the world, for the forces of the universe will be shaken. 27And at this time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
The signs of the times
28Now, when you see the first events, stand erect and lift up your heads, for your deliverance is drawing near.” 29And Jesus added this comparison, “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30As soon as their buds sprout, you know that summer is already near. 31In the same way, as soon as you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32Truly, I tell you, this generation will not pass away, until all this has happened: 33heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
34Be on your guard; let not your hearts be weighed down with a life of pleasure, drunkenness and worldly cares, lest that day catch you suddenly as a trap. 35For it will come upon all the inhabitants of the whole earth. 36But watch at all times and pray, that you may be able to escape all that is bound to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”
37In the daytime Jesus used to teach in the Temple; then he would leave the city and pass the night on the mount of Olives. 38And early in the morning the people would come to the Temple to hear him.
- Lk 21,5 See commentary on Mark 13:1 and Matthew 24:1. For a great calamity will come upon the land (v. 23). Luke foretells the destruction of the Jewish nation more clearly than Matthew and Mark do. Until the time of the non-Jewish nations is fulfilled (v. 24). Luke divides history into two ages. One corresponds to the Old Testament: that was the time when Sacred History was almost the same as the history of Israel. Then, after Jesus, came the time of the nations. The destruction of the Jewish nation and the dispersal of its people inaugurated a new era, which would be mostly the history of the evangelization and education of the nations by the Church. We could call that period the times of the New Testament, which will end with the great crisis concluding human history. thus he foretells the destruction of the Jewish nation in 70 A.D. The warning of Jesus is equally relevant for christian institutions and all those who in one way or another guide the community. We too, perhaps, build a church for the elite who un-consciously despise the poor and the lowly. So very quickly were the prophets paralyzed or eliminated. You yourselves have not entered, and you prevented others from entering (v. 52). Is not this one of the reasons why so many simple people go to other churches?
