👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽The #Fifth #Week of #Great #Lent – #Mount of #Olives ( #Debre #Zeit )
Part 2
The Lord, in His infinite wisdom, has not left us without warning concerning the times of trial and the day of His return. He has given us signs, parables, and admonitions, so that we may discern the seasons and prepare ourselves accordingly. But do we heed His words? Do we awaken from our slumber, or do we continue in spiritual negligence?
The Abomination of Desolation and the Call to Repentance
The Lord has declared: "When you see the abomination of desolation in the holy place, know that the time is near." The signs have been given so that we may not only observe but also understand. To see without comprehension is to be blind, and to hear without obedience is to be deaf before God. When the sacred is defiled, when wickedness enters the house of the Lord, the faithful must not stand idle, nor must they resign themselves to despair, saying, “It is the end, and nothing can be done.”
No! We are called to repentance, to vigilance, to spiritual battle. The Lord does not command us to sit idly while darkness encroaches, but rather to separate ourselves from all that defiles, to flee from corruption, and to sanctify ourselves in service and devotion. Those who partake in the abomination will stand at the left hand of judgment; therefore, let us choose the right hand of righteousness. Let us be counted among the faithful, not among the transgressors.
Endurance in Righteousness
"He who endures to the end will be saved." The Apostle Paul exhorts us to patience, urging us to remain steadfast in every season, whether in times of ease or persecution. The path of salvation is not for the faint-hearted; it is for those who endure, those who bear their cross daily, those who stand firm in the face of trial.
What is endurance if not the willingness to suffer for righteousness? The saints did not waver in faith; they did not shrink back when afflicted. They endured to the end, and so they will be glorified at the coming of the Lord. Will we follow in their footsteps, or will we falter at the first sign of hardship? Let us strengthen ourselves in the Lord, that we too may be found worthy.
Flight from Destruction and the Prayer for Readiness
"Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath." What does this mean? Winter is the season of barrenness, a time when the earth does not yield fruit. Likewise, a soul that has not borne the fruits of righteousness cannot hope to stand before the Lord in confidence. The Sabbath is a day of rest; it is not a time for labor, nor for last-minute repentance. If death overtakes us while we are still in spiritual idleness, our end will be bitter.
To flee to the mountains is to seek refuge in the Lord. It is to take shelter in His Church, in the communion of saints, in the intercession of those who have gone before us. But we must not wait until the storm has come. We must flee now, while there is still time, strengthening our faith, doing the works of righteousness, and preparing our souls for the coming of the Lord.
The Unseen Hour of the Son of Man
"Be prepared, for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect." When our Lord came in the flesh, He was meek and lowly, humbling Himself even unto death. But when He returns, He will come in power and glory, seated upon the throne of judgment. None shall escape His sight; none shall hide from His gaze.
As in the days of Noah, so will His coming be. Then, men lived as if life would continue forever, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, oblivious to the warning of the flood. But when the waters came, it was too late. If the master of the house had known when the thief would come, he would have stayed awake. Likewise, we must keep watch, for the time of the Lord’s coming is known to Him alone.
Continues👇🏽