There will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down

27 NOVEMBER (Lk 21,5-11)

The Lord’s people lived on an infallible assurance of faith: the observance of the commandments made it an impregnable fortress. No power either human or angelic would have been able to defeat, subdue it. On the contrary, the non-observance of the commandments made it a slave even of a fly. Some tiny insects could have devastated its territory and caused numberless calamities and disasters. Israel knows this and in the prayer it asks the Lord for forgiveness.

O God, the nations have invaded Your inheritance; They have defiled Your holy temple; They have laid Jerusalem in ruins. They have given the dead bodies of Your servants for food to the birds of the heavens, The flesh of Your godly ones to the beasts of the earth. They have poured out their blood like water round about Jerusalem; And there was no one to bury them. We have become a reproach to our neighbors, A scoffing and derision to those around us. How long, O LORD? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out Your wrath upon the nations which do not know You, And upon the kingdoms which do not call upon Your name. For they have devoured Jacob And laid waste his habitation. Do not remember the iniquities of our forefathers against us; Let Your compassion come quickly to meet us, For we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; And deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name’s sake. Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”Let there be known among the nations in our sight, Vengeance for the blood of Your servants which has been shed. Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; According to the greatness of Your power preserve those who are doomed to die. And return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom The reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord. So we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture Will give thanks to You forever; To all generations we will tell of Your praise.(Psalm 79 (78) 1-13).

Jesus foretells the destruction of Jerusalem today. Israel must ask, must question itself; it is compelled to search its soul to see if its heart is keeping the commandments or it lives without and against them. If it turns out to have a right, pure, holy and just conscience, it must fear nothing. However, if its conscience is stained with sin, then yes it will need to reflect, in order to repent and return to the sworn fidelity to the covenant. The words of Jesus are not to let be cast down.

While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, he 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.

History witnesses that they were fulfilled to the letter. This is attested by the fact that the Jerusalem temple, unlike other times, was never rebuilt. Today, only the “wailing wall” exists of it. This testimony of history must lead us to two truths: Jesus is a true prophet of the living God. His word was duly fulfilled, accomplished, carried out. Israel was really in sin. Never would have Jerusalem been abandoned by God if it had not been so.
Since Jesus revealed himself to be a true prophet – even today history is telling the truth about him – his words are of God, they are of that God who the sons of Israel still love today. Now how can one manage to worship the true God and reject his true prophet? How can one declare to be a loyal listener of the Lord and deny the one who brought the true, perfect, holy, real and immutable word of God, that nothing can be added more to, since the mystery was revealed in its wholeness and totality; into our earth? History obliges. It necessarily leads to faith in Jesus Christ. However, this requires a free, sincere and pure heart, without deceit. We need a mind that does not let itself be misled by any interpretative, exegetic, and hermeneutic falseness.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints give us true freedom.