Memorial of Saint Cecilia
November 22, 2022
Daily Reading from the USCCB: Luke 21:5-11
Toward the conclusion of his public ministry Jesus speaks about endings. Scholars call this discourse the eschatological discourse. It’s about finality. Jesus speaks about the destruction of Jerusalem and his own return at the end of time.
He first turns his attention to the destruction of Jerusalem. The Jews looked on Jerusalem–especially the temple–as God’s handiwork, indestructible because it was constructed through God’s power. It seemed inconceivable to the Jews that anything could happen to the temple. Yet Jesus says that not one stone will be left upon another.
This destruction of the temple is not a sign of God’s hostility toward his people, but an indication that his plans for them have entered a new stage in which God loves them differently.
