The Second Jewish Temple. Model in the Israel Museum. Picture taken by deror avi on 18th August 2006.

Readings (New American Bible, used in the Philippines and USA)

Gospel (Luke 21:5-19)

While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, "All that you see here--
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."

Then they asked him,
"Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"
He answered,
"See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
'I am he,’ and 'The time has come.’
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end."
Then he said to them,
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.

"Before all this happens, however,
they will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives."

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The Temple, a model of which is shown in the photo above, was destroyed by the Romans in AD70, fulfilling the words of Jesus in the Gospel. This wasn't something that Jesus desired. He was offered to his Father in the Temple when still a baby. He stayed behind there when he was 12 talking with the scribes and other learned men. He regularly went there during his public life and showed anger with money-changers there who were turning the Temple into a place of commerce rather than a place of worship. In other words, the Temple, as it was for all observant Jews, was central to the life of Jesus.

Last Sunday Pope Benedict consecrated La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and declared it a minor basilica. this church was begun in 1882 and may be finished by 2016, the centennial of the death of Antoni Gaudí, the principal architect, though not the original one. The cause of his beatification began some years ago. Here are some extracts from Pope Benedict's homily at the Mass, with some parts highlighted and some [comments].

Today marks an important step in a long history of hope, work and generosity that has gone on for more than a century. At this time I would like to mention each and every one of those who have made possible the joy that fills us today, from the promoters to the executors of this work, the architects and the workers, all who in one way or another have given their priceless contribution to the building of this edifice. [My late father was a carpenter and construction foreman most of his working life. On occasion he was involved in building chapels and renovating, in one instance, an old church. He took great pride in his work, in a quiet, professional way. I'm grateful to Pope Benedict for remembering the many 'ordinary workers', persons like my Dad, involved in building La Sagrada Familia]. We remember of course the man who was the soul and the artisan of this project, Antoni Gaudí, a creative architect and a practising Christian who kept the torch of his faith alight to the end of his life, a life lived in dignity and absolute austerity . . .

The joy which I feel at presiding at this ceremony became all the greater when I learned that this shrine, since its beginnings, has had a special relationship with Saint Joseph. I have been moved above all by Gaudí’s confidence when, in the face of many difficulties, filled with trust in divine Providence, he would exclaim, “Saint Joseph will finish this church”. So it is significant that it is also being dedicated by a Pope whose baptismal name is Joseph. [My father's second name was 'Joseph' as is my own. He had the same trade as the saint but I ahve no talent whatever in that direction.]

What do we do when we dedicate this church? In the heart of the world, placed before God and mankind, with a humble and joyful act of faith, we raise up this massive material structure, fruit of nature and an immense achievement of human intelligence which gave birth to this work of art. It stands as a visible sign of the invisible God, to whose glory these spires rise like arrows pointing towards absolute light and to the One who is Light, Height and Beauty itself. [Every church building, no matter how simple, should bring us into contact with God, should nourish our faith].

In this place, Gaudí desired to unify that inspiration which came to him from the three books which nourished him as a man, as a believer and as an architect: the book of nature, the book of sacred Scripture and the book of the liturgy. In this way he brought together the reality of the world and the history of salvation, as recounted in the Bible and made present in the liturgy. He made stones, trees and human life part of the church so that all creation might come together in praise of God, but at the same time he brought the sacred images outside so as to place before people the mystery of God revealed in the birth, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this way, he brilliantly helped to build our human consciousness, anchored in the world yet open to God, enlightened and sanctified by Christ. In this he accomplished one of the most important tasks of our times: overcoming the division between human consciousness and Christian consciousness, between living in this temporal world and being open to eternal life, between the beauty of things and God as beauty. Antoni Gaudí did this not with words but with stones, lines, planes, and points. Indeed, beauty is one of mankind’s greatest needs; it is the root from which the branches of our peace and the fruits of our hope come forth. Beauty also reveals God because, like him, a work of beauty is pure gratuity; it calls us to freedom and draws us away from selfishness. [Beauty is not an 'optional extra' but essential for our lives as humans called to live for ever in the presence of God.]

We have dedicated this sacred space to God, who revealed and gave himself to us in Christ so as to be definitively God among men . . . [When we set aside a place for God it helps us to see God's presence elsewhere just as celebrating a birthday helps us to have a deeper sense of gratitude to God for the gift of life].

The one Christ is the foundation of the one Church. He is the rock on which our faith is built. Building on this faith, let us strive together to show the world the face of God who is love and the only one who can respond to our yearning for fulfilment. This is the great task before us: to show everyone that God is a God of peace not of violence, of freedom not of coercion, of harmony not of discord. In this sense, I consider that the dedication of this church of the Sagrada Familia is an event of great importance, at a time in which man claims to be able to build his life without God, as if God had nothing to say to him. In this masterpiece, Gaudí shows us that God is the true measure of man; that the secret of authentic originality consists, as he himself said, in returning to one’s origin which is God. Gaudí, by opening his spirit to God, was capable of creating in this city a space of beauty, faith and hope which leads man to an encounter with him who is truth and beauty itself. The architect expressed his sentiments in the following words: “A church [is] the only thing worthy of representing the soul of a people, for religion is the most elevated reality in man”.[Do we really believe that? The martyrs, those who lived to the fullest some of the words of Jesus, gave their lives for this.]

This affirmation of God brings with it the supreme affirmation and protection of the dignity of each and every man and woman: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple? … God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (1 Cor 3:16-17). [ Years ago, in my own parish church at home in Ireland I pointed out in a homily that a temple of the Holy Spirit, a policeman, had been murdered that week in Northern Ireland. One man didn't like what I said and stood up and asked 'Are we here to listen to a political speech or to the Gospel?'] Here we find joined together the truth and dignity of God and the truth and dignity of man. As we consecrate the altar of this church, which has Christ as its foundation, we are presenting to the world a God who is the friend of man and we invite men and women to become friends of God. [Pope Benedict constantly stresses the importance of intimacy with a loving God. Jesus tells us in the gospel today not to follow certain people. Among those, I would suggest, are those who call themselves 'Born Again' and lead many Filipino Catholics away from the Lord Jesus who comes to us most especially in the Sacrifice of the Mass, in the Sacraments, and in the proclamation of the Word of God in these celebrations. I don't doubt the good will of those who call themselves 'Born Again' but they are as far off course as those who think the earth is flat.]

This church began as an initiative of the Association of the Friends of Saint Joseph, who wanted to dedicate it to the Holy Family of Nazareth. The home formed by Jesus, Mary and Joseph has always been regarded as a school of love, prayer and work. The promoters of this church wanted to set before the world love, work and service lived in the presence of God, as the Holy Family lived them. Life has changed greatly and with it enormous progress has been made in the technical, social and cultural spheres. We cannot simply remain content with these advances. Alongside them, there also need to be moral advances, such as in care, protection and assistance to families, inasmuch as the generous and indissoluble love of a man and a woman is the effective context and foundation of human life in its gestation, birth, growth and natural end. Only where love and faithfulness are present can true freedom come to birth and endure. [The defence of the family and of human life from conception to natural death are two specific areas where Catholics and other Christians have been prepared to suffer and even go to jail, for example in Canada, a country we don't normally associate with persecution. Read about Linda Gibbons here.]

. . . As I contemplate with admiration this sacred space of marvellous beauty, of so much faith-filled history, I ask God that in the land of Catalonia new witnesses of holiness may rise up and flourish, and present to the world the great service that the Church can and must offer to humanity: to be an icon of divine beauty, a burning flame of charity, a path so that the world may believe in the One whom God has sent (cf. Jn 6:29).

You can read the full text of Pope Benedict's homily here. Photos of La Sagrada Familia below.

At his Wednesday audience in the Vatican on 10 November Pope Benedict shared his memories of his visit to Compostela and Barcelona:

"That splendid work, rich in religious symbolism, . . . almost like an immense stone sculpture", the Pope added, "draws us to the true shrine, the place of authentic worship, heaven, where Christ entered to appear before God on our behalf. The great architect of this magnificent temple brilliantly represented the mystery of the Church into which the faithful are incorporated by Baptism as living stones in the construction of a spiritual edifice".

The church of the Sagrada Familia was conceived by its architect, Antoni Gaudi, "as an immense catechesis on Jesus Christ, as a hymn of praise to the Creator. . . . Indeed, the extraordinarily expressive and symbolic capacity of the artistic forms and motifs, as well as the innovative architectural and sculptural techniques, evoke the supreme Source of all beauty", said the Pope. He then explained how Gaudi's own life, "from the moment he accepted the commission to build the church, ... was marked by a profound change" as he felt "the need to prepare himself spiritually in order to succeed in expressing the unfathomable mystery of God in material reality".

The Holy Father went on: "In Barcelona I also visited the 'Obra Benefico-Social Nen Deu', ... where handicapped children and young people are cared for with love and professional skill. Their lives are precious in the eyes of God, and they are a constant invitation to us to abandon our own selfishness".

Also in Barcelona , "I prayed intensely for families, the vital cells and the hope of society and of the Church. I also recalled people who suffer, especially at this time of severe economic difficulties. My thoughts also went to the young, . . . that they may discover the beauty, value and commitment of Marriage in which a man and a woman form a family which generously accepts life and accompanies it from conception until natural end. Everything done to support marriage and the family, to help people in need, everything that serves to enhance man's greatness and his inviolable dignity, also helps to perfect society". [Occasionally I hear people say in a facile way 'The Church is people', as if church buildings didn't matter. Yet I've never heard anyone say 'The family is people. A house doesn't matter.' Pope Benedict emphasises Gaudí's faith and his vision of the real connection between the members of the Church and the buildings in which they worship.]

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Viewing History in the Larger Context of God

Biblical Reflection for 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time C

By Father Thomas Rosica, CSB

TORONTO, NOV. 9, 2010 (Zenit.org).- As we come to the end of the Church's liturgical year, our Sunday Scripture readings are filled with apocalyptic images that may well terrify us with their intensity, honesty, realism and practicality. Apocalyptic writing was popular in Christian circles for a millennium. Major historical crises most often triggered apocalyptic thinking.

You may read the full text here.

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Not the End of the World

Fr Peter Hunter OP

'It's not the end of the world.' There are all sorts of ways of using that phrase. It can be a way of telling something that what they've done isn't as bad as it seems. It can also be used-lazily, callously-in talking to someone who has lost someone they have loved. Callously, because for someone who really has lost someone close when a relationship comes to an end or through death, their world has come to an end in a significant way.

Human beings live in a physical world and that world of course goes on without notice when these tragedies come upon us. That can seem entirely wrong, scandalous even, because for us, there has been some kind of definitive end. 'Stop all the clocks,' as Auden says in his poem of the same name about the death of a lover. Time, he seems to be saying, shouldn't go on anymore. It's the end of the world.

You may read the full text here.