The Scarlet Thread

Gospel Reflection for November 17, 2024 - Mark 13:24-32

But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light.

And the stars of heaven shall be falling down, and the powers that are in heaven, shall be moved.

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds, with great power and glory.

And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

Now of the fig tree learn ye a parable. When the branch thereof is now tender, and the leaves are come forth, you know that summer is very near.

So you also when you shall see these things come to pass, know ye that it is very nigh, even at the doors.

Amen I say to you, that this generation shall not pass, until all these things be done.

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away.

But of that day or hour no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father. (Mark 13:24-32 DRA)

As the liturgical year draws to a close and the new year begins on the first Sunday of Advent, in preparation for Advent the Church focuses on readings which have an eschatological, or End Times, theme. The Gospel for today should be situated within the context of Mark 13, the whole of which pertains to this theme. Throughout history, scholars have given different interpretations of it, especially in answer to certain questions, such as exactly when the prophesied events would occur or if they have already happened, what Christ meant by “this generation shall not pass, until all these things be done” and His mysterious statement that “nor the Son” knows the hour of the End Times but only the Father.

Our Lord, elsewhere in this chapter, says that the Temple will be destroyed to its very foundation, that there would be “wars and rumours of wars,” earthquakes and famines, that the apostles would be persecuted both by Jews and Gentiles, that the whole world would be evangelized, that the “abomination of desolation” would be seen “standing in the holy place” according to St. Matthew’s parallel, (Mt 24:15) that there would be “false Christs and false prophets,” the Sun and Moon darkened, stars falling from the sky and finally the Son of Man coming in the clouds and sending out His angels “with a trumpet” (Mt 24:31) to gather the elect from across the world and initiate the final judgment and the reclamation of Creation.

Many of the events prophesied by Our Lord can be recognized in the events following the Ascension, especially in the persecutions of the Church and most of all in the Jewish Revolt, when in 70 AD the Roman legions crucified 10,000 Jews a day and destroyed most of Jerusalem, including the Temple to its foundation. There was indeed a famine at this time and wars, including a civil war in the Roman Empire, and the smoke from the fires of war would have darkened the sky. In the intervening years there were also many false Christs, including two mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 5:33-39) whose movements were brutally put down by the Romans. Additionally, the “abomination of desolation” did indeed stand “in the holy place” – when the Romans conquered Jerusalem and violated the sanctity of the Temple, even the Holy of Holies itself. In this sense, and remembering for Christ’s penchant for rabbinic hyperbole, “this generation” did see much of what He foretold.

Nevertheless, not all of Christ’s prophecies in Mark 13 and Matthew 24 can be assigned to the 40 years after His Ascension, for example, the stars falling, the evangelization of the whole world, the ingathering of the elect and the Son of Man coming in the clouds with His angels. These point forward to a time in the future, one which Christ says that even the Son knows not the day nor the hour. Pope St. Gregory the Great explains this saying by locating its origin in Christ’s humanity which, though it was ignorant of nothing due to its hypostatic union with God, could not know the time by its own power. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, on the other hand, gives the view that the Father hadn’t given Christ permission to reveal the time yet, so it could be said that He didn’t “know” it. Either option is a sufficient answer to this question, one which ultimately remains a mystery.

What can we learn from this as Christians living two thousand years after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, still awaiting the return of the King? The conclusion of Mark 13 shows that Christ’s words were not meant only as a bit of interesting information but as a warning: “Take ye heed, watch and pray. For ye know not when the time is… Watch ye therefore, (for you know not when the lord of the house cometh: at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning,) Lest coming on a sudden, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch.” (Mk 13:33, 35-37) We are given this age of the Church, the Anno Domini, for preparation, to fulfill Christ’s prophesy of the evangelization of the world and to purify ourselves in holiness for the return of the Bridegroom.

The Church Fathers connected these prophecies to the fall of Jericho in the time of the first exodus, when Rahab, the only person saved in the city (despite being a harlot), sheltered the spies of Israel and hung a scarlet thread, which the Fathers saw as a symbol of salvation history, in the window of her house which, when the trumpets (like those used by the angels in Christ’s prophecies) brought down the walls of Jericho, was the only part of the walls still standing. She can even be seen as a prototype of the Blessed Virgin with her words, “As you have spoken, so be it done,” (Joshua 2:21) echoed in the Fiat at the Annunciation. Through Rahab, we can see the necessity of both faith and works for sanctification: “By faith Rahab the harlot perished not with the unbelievers, receiving the spies with peace.” (Heb 11:31) “And in like manner also Rahab the harlot, was not she justified by works, receiving the messengers, and sending them out another way?” (Jas 2:25)

C.S. Lewis once said that the Church is in this state even now, building a secret society of sorts, spies of God sent out “to convince the world of sin, and of justice, and of judgment.” (Jn 16:8) This is our mission as Christians which, if we choose to accept it, may seem impossible, but with the grace of the Holy Ghost and the fellowship of our team members, we can do our part to prepare the world for the return of the King.