24th Sunday after Pentecost. Christ's Last Judgment SpeechToday the Church presents us with a powerful image: the end of the world and the return of the divineJudge. The Gospel is part of the great discourse that Christ gave about the end of the world. Thecontent of this discourse is significant and worth knowing for every Christian.The Saviour made a last attempt to call the Jews to their senses and turn them away from theirwickedness; it was in vain. Now He gives one last discourse in which He hurls eight woes at thePharisees and leaders of the Jews. Then He leaves the Temple, never to enter it again. As He walks outof the Temple with his apostles, one of his disciples says to him, "Teacher, look how magnificent thesepillars are!" But Jesus, deeply moved; answers, "I tell you, not one stone will be left upon another."This word pierced the hearts of the apostles like a sword thrust, for the Jews were deeply attached totheir Temple. Silently and thoughtfully, the small group wandered up to Mount of Olives. The sun wassetting; its last rays illuminated the unfaithful city of Jerusalem in red. The Saviour sat down aloneand gazed upon the city. Then some disciples crept up. The Lord's words as he left the temple had notleft their minds. The Master had spoken of the destruction of the temple and the city. In their opinion,this also meant the end of the world. Therefore, they asked: "Tell us, Master, when will all thishappen, and what will be the sign of your return and the end of the world?" They meant that the returnof Christ, the end of the world, and the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple would all occur at thesame time. The Lord now summons all the apostles and gives them a long discourse about the end ofJerusalem and the end of the world. Part of this discourse is contained in today's Gospel. Let meexplain the line of thought behind this discourse. It consists of four main parts. Above all, the Lordmakes a clear distinction between the destruction of Jerusalem...