Jesus' teaching in today's Gospel is occasioned by people who were deeply impressed by the magnificence of the Temple in Jerusalem. It must have come as a shock to hear Jesus say that one day it would be utterly destroyed. They wanted to know when this terrible thing would happen. Jesus did not say when but He warned them not to be deceived by three kinds of happenings. First, there would be those who would go round saying the end was imminent. They are not to be believed. Second, there would be terrible catastrophes caused by natural disasters or people killing each other by the thousand.

These would not be the sign either. Thirdly, the followers of Christ would be persecuted and sometimes hounded to death for their faith, even denounced by their own family and friends. These, too, would not be the sign of the end. In all of this, only one thing mattered - to remain faithful to the Call and the Way of Jesus. And, in practical terms, the end that really matters is when our own time comes to leave this world and to hear the words: "Come, you blessed one, because when I was in need you took care of me."