Mark's Apocalypse and Living Catholicism Today
Jesus could not describe what he may have foreseen
This is a passage known as St. Mark’s Apocalypse where Jesus describes the end of the world but not when this would happen. Let’s look at it.
This is a prophecy and we look at it within the context of other prophecies that turned out to be true. All the world would worship the God of the Jews, we do. The suffering servant would give his life for the salvation of all, this happened. There are more.
One of the prophesies is that Jesus would return as victor of nations at the end of the world. Jesus of course also says no one knows when this would happen.
Yesterday’s understanding and today’s reality
Now we have to understand this in terms of the context. When Jesus is describing these worlds, many people saw the sky as some kind of dome that covered the Earth. Having been out to sea, just before the sun comes over the horizon you start to see a light appear that starts to reveal the extreme details of what is around you. Out at sea, it looks like you are in a studio. It literally looks like you are in a big room.
People did not understand as we do about the moon and the planets and the universe. Remember, the telescope was not invented until the 16th Century. As near as 1938 people believed that Mars could invade us. So when Jesus speaks of the collapse of the universe, the understanding was different then than it is today.
However, remember something. Jesus understood far more than you and I understand today. How could that scenario come to exist today? By the human race completely destroying themselves doing something stupid like war. This was not possible in the times of Jesus but it is possible today.
Neither was it possible for him to explain it. Granted Jesus can do anything but the Apostles could not understand a description of the future. You could be transported to the time of Jesus how could you describe an electric can opener. Remember, they do not have electricity, they don’t have cans, the canning process, and everything else. How are you going to describe what an electric can opener is to St. Peter.
So Jesus says nothing about what it will be like just before it happens, but he does say to be alert. Be aware.
Jesus speaks to us more than them
So, if you think about it, Jesus is speaking to us more than he is to them. We need to be able to be aware of the signs more than they did because the world could end more in our time than in yours.
So what is the signs, when the world embraces the full effect of the imperfection of humanity and creates a world no longer viable for humans. Maybe it is a massive war, maybe it is a political mess. Whatever and what is our role? Our role is to live the Gospel and continue our mission that Christ called us to until he arrives. We are signs of the presence of reality more than you can find using all the tools available to us at MIT.
Our simply living our Gospel life and becoming people who pray for the conversion and holiness of others. The reason is that the basic message of the Gospel is that the Earth is in an evolution and at the culmination of it is the complete overtaking of the Earth by the kingdom of God.
So keep we are here to be signs of the the Kingdom of God and lead people to come to know the truth.
So, how do we live our faith. There is something to understand here. The Jewish state, both Israel and Judah then were a theocracy. Jesus creates a whole new understanding of God and there is no theocracy. Granted some were tried but they all failed. Massachusetts began as a theocracy. This is because Jesus creates an understanding of our relationship with God similar to all of creation. How does creation work, little cells biologically and atoms physically all in unison form a whole being and a whole structure. Jesus changes the system from a set of laws determined to lead a people to the people have those laws written on their hearts and act accordingly.
When we follow those internal laws, we create a world of peace and when we disregard them we create a world of division. However, the choice to live those laws is our own. So Jesus calls us to follow the spirit of the law, each of us and to go beyond the letter of the law which is what you see in a theocracy.
This is what leads to peace, unity centered on Christ.
Jesus fought against a theocracy
There was an interesting message this week from a video by Chris Hedges. It turns out people in the Pentagon are afraid that under Trump Christian nationalists including radical anti-Francis Catholics will try to turn the United States into a Theocracy. I don’t believe that is possible and the Fathers of the country specifically included elements to prevent this from happen.
This is why there is such move against Christian nationalists, they are afraid they will take over the country. However, that is not what Jesus created. He actually turned people against the theocracy, it is the heart that changes and the more people live from the heart, the more people live in the freedom Christ called us to live.
The message of today’s Gospel is that Jesus is the truth and leads us to embrace the truth. His teaching is not a religion but a science and to not live by our Baptismal call is to live in the same way we would live if we were ignorant of the teachings of science.
When we live by our baptismal call, we create peace, when we don’t, we invite tyranny to force peace and that never works because ultimately the scenario Jesus warns against begins to happen built out of disunity.
Fr. Robert J Carr is pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Allston, MA
The parish podcast is at CatholicAudioMedia.com