The Gospel of Luke, chapter 21:9

Apocalyptic preachers on television love to predict the final coming of Jesus; they pretend to know more than Jesus himself who tells us that no one knows the exact day or hour, “only the Father.”

The apocalyptic writer in the Old Testament often relies on catastrophic images- chaos, fire, destruction, flood, battle when writing about the end days. Thus the author of the Book of Daniel deals in “destructive” terms whey trying to describe the salvation wrought by God (Daniel 12:1-3). It is important for us not to look for the specific “signs” mentioned by the author, but to look beyond them to the glorious rescue promised by God to those who do His will, daily.

Jesus himself uses apocalyptic terms when He describes the parousia (second coming) to his followers (Mark 13:24-32). Jesus’ point here is that the “end times” will be recognizable; there will be some signs heralding its advent; but even so, only the Father knows the exact day or hour (Matthew 24:36). It is fruitless, therefore, to forecast the apocalypse literally. Rather, the gospel urges us to keep ourselves in a state of constant awareness and vigilance. This will allow us to recognize the Lord’s coming at the end of time if we are alive then and, more important, the Lord’s many comings into our lives each day.

By pointing to the end times, Jesus wants us to be fully awake for the end when it comes at a time when we least expect it. In Jesus, this time has already begun. We, by our watchfulness, can further God’s reign. We can heal broken hearts, free captives, spread the good news. Even so, the reign of God will only finally be complete with the second coming of Christ-the parousia, when the Lord will welcome the remaining faithful into paradise.

The little fig tree in chapter thirteen of St. Mark’s gospel is called a sign of the times. Its fruit signals the arrival of harvest time. Like that little fig tree, we too, are signs of the times; God’s time. As Christians, we show the world that God’s reign and presence are already among us. By the way we live-by our fruits-we announce the coming of the Lord who will complete God’s will on earth.

When we pray, “thy kingdom come; thy will be done,” we are not simply expressing a longing for some future event; we are committing ourselves to go and bear fruit today in order that God’s kingdom may arrive.

Fr. Hugh Duffy