God Sees Something Different than We Do!

When God looks at our lives, do you think he sees the same thing we do?  As happened in today’s gospel, sometimes God sees something different than we see.  The disciples were looking at the beautiful Temple in Jerusalem and reassuring themselves that certainly its magnificence testified to their favored status as people of God.

They were looking at Jerusalem’s 2nd Temple.  Over the course of time, Jerusalem had two temples.  The 1st was built by Solomon, the son of David, and it was a fabulous structure until it was destroyed by the Babylonians.  That happened when the Jews were conquered and taken into exile in 587BC.  But, upon returning from exile some 70 years later, the destroyed 1st Temple was rebuilt, but as a much smaller structure. 

Then, under King Herod, this 2nd Temple was enlarged to about twice the size of that of the original.  This expansion was underway when Christ’s was here on earth.  Herod used white marble stones up to 65’ long, 12’ high, and 18’ wide.  If one of those stones were in the north transept of this church today, it would reach from the north doors to the altar, span about half the width of that area, and then be 12’ high.  That is a very large stone.       

The gates and doors were plated with gold and silver.  Tapestries of fine linen hung at the entrance.  The columns were single blocks of white marble, 40’ high.  Each column would reach from the altar to the roof of this church.  

The outer walls were covered with gold.  People looking at it in bright sunlight had to turn away their eyes, just as they would have to do had they been looking directly at the sun.  It was almost unthinkable that the glory of the Temple should be shattered to dust.

However, Christ saw things differently than his disciples.  They saw accomplishment – he saw destruction!  They saw a building up; he saw a tearing down!  Even though God looks at the same things we do, he sometimes comes to a different conclusion. 

It was implicit in the disciples’ statements that “certainly God must be pleased with the people who built and dedicated this magnificent structure to him”!

Do we sometimes think of our own accomplishments that way?  Do we sometimes look upon our successes and conclude that certainly, they are evidence that we stand in favor with God! 

Jesus cautioned the disciples not to over attribute God’s favor based on the grandeur of the Temple; likewise, we should not do so based on the good fortune we enjoy in this world. 

As the well-known folk hymn of the St. Louis Jesuits puts it: “Though the mountains may fall, and the hills turn to dust, yet the love of the Lord will stand.”  The Temple building was temporary: it looked impressive then, but in time it would be dust; and so will we.  On Ash Wednesday, we will again be reminded of this fact with the words: “Remember Man, you are Dust; and to Dust you shall Return”!

Like the disciples, we too may face hardships.  But, we are told in this gospel that we will gain everlasting life if only we hold tightly to our faith through these times of trial and suffering.

We are all called to be faithful witnesses even under unusual stress and pain.  Disciples are not exempt from suffering!

Are there times when you feel like your world is collapsing and falling apart?

• You may have lost a loved one.  A well-loved voice is silent; the house empty; leaving you with an aching heart.
• You might be involved in the breakdown of a relationship, maybe even a divorce.  What seemed like a great future suddenly disappeared.
• Hardly a week goes by without news of job losses; it may be you that has been made redundant or unemployed; or
• You may have received bad news of an illness and be struggling to come to terms with what it means to the future of you and your family.

Whenever these kinds of things happen our world seems to just fall apart.  These can be times of great testing – testing of our faith, testing of our belief in God, wondering whether there even is a God.

In the reading from Luke’s gospel when Jesus was talking about the shaking and collapse that will take place, he gave his listeners some hope.  It wasn’t all doom and gloom!  

Stand firm, hold on!  God has not deserted you!  That was Jesus’ message to his disciples.  Jesus holds out that same message to us today. 

In the midst of the turmoil of our lives, when our world seems to have collapsed, God who has been with us is still there.  God who has been faithful in the past remains faithful today.  God who has lavished his love on us hasn’t deserted us in our time need. 

The times when we feel crushed by life are the very times when God is closest to us, even though we don’t often realize it.  

In Jesus, God came into the world.  He came to share in all the joys and sorrows of human life.  He came to know what our life is like and to let us know what God was like.  And, because he came, because he lived, because he died and rose again, he stands firmly with us in this life and reaches out to us, to you and to me when our world seems to be collapsing and falling apart.  

Our God looks on the same things we do, but he sometimes sees something different.  Where we see accomplishment; he may see destruction.  Where we see a building-up; he may see a tearing down.  Likewise, where we see hardship, he may see strengthening.  Where we see destruction, he may see new beginnings.  Be open to looking at your life from his perspective; looking at it from the perspective of your Catholic faith. 

And when you do this, don’t be terrified at what you see.  Know that you will have help.  Christ never said that he would protect us from all harm.  He did say, however, that he would forgive us and heal us.  Accept that forgiveness and healing!  God is with us as we struggle with the hardships and difficulties before us!  It is with him, in him, and though him that we form ourselves and prepare ourselves for everlasting glory with him.