There is evil in the world.  We can’t pick up a newspaper and read what is going on around the world without being aware that there is truly evil at work in the world.  The evil that exists in the world will manifest itself in bad things happening that we have very little control over.  Bad things will happen and they will touch many people, even good people.  There will be suffering because of the bad things that are made to happen by the evil that is wrought in the world by selfish and power hungry people.  Greedy and selfish people betray people’s trust to feed their own insatiable desires.  Good people lose their pensions, their jobs and their homes.  It happens every day in our world.  It has been happening for centuries.

    Often we can get fixated on observing and thinking about the bad things that are going on in our world and a sense of foreboding, anxiety and fear can set in.  We begin to panic and it seems like there is no hope, like there is no good left in the world and that surely the end must come soon.  We become a doomsday people, just waiting for the big one to drop.  Often in times like these we want to withdraw from the world, we want to find a bunker where we can be safe and hidden and just wait it out.  We have given up on the world and we figure that it is no use working any more for the good because certainly evil will run its course and the bad things will just keep getting worse.  Without hope we lose our will to live and to participate fully in life.  It is like a child playing a game who gets injured and decides to just quit, go home, sulk in his room and not play with these people again.  We give up.  We quit trying.

    Apocalyptic literature was written to address life in just these circumstances.  Apocalyptic imagery is developed to give us hope in the midst of suffering.  It assures us that even though there is evil and bad things are bound to happen we should remain vigilant in living our lives just as God has called us to live.  Even though bad things are happening right now they won’t happen forever.  There will come a time when evil, the bad things that it causes and the bad people that set these events in motion will pass away.  There will be an end to evil and we will once again be able to see the good.  In fact, the time is near if we just look for it.

    Our gospel today gives us teaching from Jesus that is drawn from Old Testament apocalyptic images and writings.  Jesus is warning his disciples that they will see bad times and face difficult challenges.  There will be times of persecution and suffering.  There will be times when it seems like evil is going to win out and that all that they are doing is impotent in the face of such overwhelming odds.  There will be a temptation to just give up and throw in the towel, to just escape into some dream state and find peace in being oblivious to it all.  Jesus’ advice to his disciples in the face of these trials is to watch, to be vigilant, to stay awake, to be ready so that they will not be blinded by the darkness and will be able to see the coming of the light on the horizon of history.

    The little image of the fig tree gives us a message of hope in the midst of tribulation.  The long, dark winter is coming to an end when you see the fig tree begin to bud and you know that summer is near.  Jesus is trying to tell us that even in times of wintry darkness there are signs of the nearness of God if we are on the watch for them.  He tells the disciples very clearly, “know that he is near”.  Knowing the nearness of God and being able to perceive his presence in the midst of difficulties and suffering is a source of strength and hope for us.  He also promises us, “my words will not pass away”.  We can find strength, nourishment and hope in the Word of God that Jesus has given to us.  If that Word is in our hearts, hidden in the recesses of our interior being, guarded in faith and on our minds and lips then we will not falter.  How much beauty, life and goodness do we miss each day because we are lost in our daily concerns, our anxieties, our fears and our distresses?  Wake up!  Look around and see that he is near.