Re-visioning

Today's readings: Daniel 12, 1-3; Hebrews 10, 11-14. 18; Mark 13, 24-32.

Nowadays we are getting used to experiencing a climate of fear in film and literature. Easy money is made by exploiting people's fear of the future and curiosity about the mysteries of everyday life. Fortune-telling, for example, is big business.

It seems that the underlying theme of apocalyptic literature that we find in the Scriptures is becoming fashionable. It keeps us alert, with eyes open to what really awaits us 'the day after'. The Gospel invites us to "learn the parable of the fig tree", and watch for the true signs of transformation, that we may see what otherwise would remain hidden and mysterious. 'Re-vision' means 'taking another look' at our own stories, at things as they are and as they are meant to be.

Today, both the first reading from Daniel and Mark's Gospel are speaking about re-visioning. The language is apocalyptic and it challenges us to reconsider our philosophy of life and our understanding of reality. There is so much around us apparently set to firmly dominate world history and our personal lives alike. But Daniel's vision and Jesus' talk about reading the signs of the times invite us to open our eyes to what God can reveal, that goes deeper than mere perception.

The book of Daniel originated around 165 BC when King Antiochus IV, with the support of some Jewish leaders, sought to transform the Temple into a shrine suiting other beliefs and rituals, and to replace the Torah as the law of the Jewish people. That was meant to be a cultural shock for Israel, an inkling of what today we call secularisation.

The book of Daniel provides an interpretation of this by projecting from a faith perspective the fall of the four great empires of the time, yielding their power to the God of Israel. The reading from Daniel forms part of a series of great visons, full of symbols and historical allusions whose explanation remains difficult. He announces the day of liberation for Israel, giving the people the much-needed assurance of a man of God. For him, the light of a new future will shine.

To some extent, Mark is also addressing a similar situation, with Christians having to suffer for their faith. Today's text from Mark 13, which is referred to as the 'Little Apocalypse', is a pivotal text in the Gospel regarding the understanding of the identity of Jesus. "And they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory."

The use of imaginative language to depict the fullness of God's kingdom is commonplace in the Scriptures. Throughout the centuries, these texts and this language have also been misused by false messiahs and false prophets who manipulate people and even make them take what is written in its literal sense.

But the Scripture is not meant to play on fear. The proclamation of the Good News does not come about through fear, exploiting the vulnerability of those who are afraid of what the future might offer. The proclamation of the end of time, even if it is conveyed through catastrophic language, is only the proclamation of new beginnings.

The Gospel speaks of "the time of distress", the unleashed powers in heaven and on earth that bring about the great transformation from life here on earth to life eternal. "Heaven and earth will pass away," says Jesus, "but my words will not pass away". Because his words are not futile promises, they are not promises of a better future.

The future promised and proclaimed here, which is already present for those who experience God as alive, is in no way comparable to life as we know it.