Two weeks ago Jesus taught us to learn from history as he used the story of Noah's Ark to speak about the end of the world and the danger of complacency. Today, he calls upon us to be sensitive and to perceive what is happening around us. The story of Noah in the past teaches us how to face the future. Today he speaks to the Jews about future things that any perceptive person would have seen as inevitable. Sooner or later the political situation would mean that the Roman army would surround Jerusalem.

For us, this is a story from the past. As the Jews could learn from the old story of Noah, so we too can learn from the past. We can learn especially from our immediate past. The first few years of this third millennium clearly teach us not to be complacent. In spite of all, Jesus tells us to "stand up straight and raise your heads, for your ransom is at hand". His words echo God's instruction to the people of Israel leaving Egypt in the Exodus: "You must leave with heads held high".