In today's Gospel, Luke gives us the last address of Jesus' public ministry. Jesus is clearly fretful about the future as he paints a bleak picture of the end of the world. There is talk of nations in agony, of bewilderment, of people dying of fear, of the power which menaces the world. It is a nightmare view of total disaster which "will come down on every living man on the face of the earth."

Given that vision of ultimate collapse it is hardly surprising that as Jesus anticipates, it might lead people to drink! Being sober and awake might not seem very attractive in the face of such catastrophe. Nightmares are bad experiences we usually wake up from, not experiences we stay awake for. Yet that is Jesus' advice: "Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen." But, why stay awake? What is there to stay awake for?

In Jesus' view is that the terrible things that will happen are signs that something else is happening: the saving visit of the Son of Man at the end of time. The good news is that out of that comes final liberation for the true disciple. This is also what we pray in our Eucharistic prayer: