The End Will Not Be At Once by Herman Hendrickx, CICM

This book is part of a series on Studies in the Synoptic Gospels by Fr. Herman Hendrickx, CICM. Other books in this series are: The Infancy Narratives, The Passion Narratives of the Synoptic Gospels, The Resurrection Narratives of the Synoptic Gospels, The Miracle Stories, The Parables of Jesus, and The Sermon on the Mount.

Introduction

Popular religious literature about the end times are often written by holy men and women, saints, and religious, who base their prophecies on visions and revelations from God. Some of these holy men and women are: Blessed Anna Maria Taigi (Rome), St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Capuchin Priest, Italy, feast on September 23), Pere Lamy (Priest, France), Elizabeth Canori-Mora (Rome), Sister Rosa Colomba Asdente (Italy), Father Nectou (Jesuit Priest, Belgium), Sister Palma D'Oria (Italy), Sister Marie Baourdi (Carmelite, France), Marie Julie Jahenny (France), Saint Hildegard of Bingen (Germany), Marie Martel (Normandy), and many more. Although the prophetic visions of these holy men and women are regarded as authentic, when one reads the scripture texts themselves, with a special attention to the eschatological passage in Mark and Luke, a systematic study of the text can provide quite a substantial number of biblical insights on what can happen in the end times. Fr. Herman Hendrickx, CICM, a noted scripture scholar, writes this book for students who want to learn an exposition of the end times as it is presented in the gospel of Luke and in Mark.

A modern biblical study

Fr. Herman Hendrickx takes account of modern biblical scholarship in this book with the treatment of the gospel of Luke - especially the eschatological discourse. He however writes in a style and manner that is accessible to the general reader. Section by section, he compares the passages which refer to the end times in the gospel of Luke with that of the passages in Mark. He explains the original significance and meaning of these texts and presents its relevance to the present times. A final chapter in the book contains valuable suggestions for homilies on gospel readings taken from chapter 13 of the gospel of Mark and chapter 21 of the gospel of Luke. The book also contains an extensive bibliography of general and specialized studies.

The author

Fr. Herman Hendrickx, CICM, was born in Belgium and studied scripture and theology at Louvain University. He was Professor of Theology at St. Joseph's Seminary, Louvain. In 1967 A.D., he arrived in the Philippines where he became a Professor of New Testament Studies. He has lectured widely in the Philippines, Asia, Australia and the United States to groups of priests, religious, teachers, and catechists. One of the schools in which he applied all his learning and shared it in his teaching is Maryhill School of Theology in New Manila, Quezon City, Philippines.

Main sections of the book

Listed below are the main sections of the book. For those undertaking New Testament studies, this is a welcome resource and good material for research.

• Luke 21:5-36: Context, Structure, Source(s), Train of Thought
  


• The Introduction to the Discourse (Luke 21:5-7)
  


• The Beginning of the Discourse (Luke 21:8-11)
  


• Description and Interpretation of Persecution (Luke 21:12-19)
  


• Destruction of the Temple as Judgment (Luke 21:20-24)
  


• The Return of the Son of Man (Luke 21:25-28)
  


• The Parable of the Fig Tree (Luke 21:29-31)
  


• Additional Sayings (Luke 21:32-33)
  


• Concluding Warnings (Luke 21:34-36)
  


• Results of the Inquiry into Luke 21:5-36
  


• Preaching the Eschatological Discourse (Mark 13 and Luke 21)
  

General message of the book

Those who read the passages of the gospel referring to these end times will feel a certain uneasiness in words such as "cosmic collapse" and other descriptive warnings of the end times in the gospel of Mark and Luke. Whether the warnings can be justified and currently relevant (as no one knows exactly when the end times will be), it can evoke negative emotions. But, the context of the Christian message presented by Fr. Herman Hendrickx contains an attitude of faith and confidence in the midst of trouble. The crisis-situation presented in the gospel texts can be seen more as a hope in God's salvation (cf. v. 28 "Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near"). What is seriously to be considered is that God's judgment definitely comes. All the faithful need to be aware of this and see what this means for each one's life. It is an opportune time not to live blindly, but to be ready, vigilant and confident that liberation from God is a reality strongly present in the daily events of life. All the faithful are thus called to avoid what is unworthy of being Christian, to have a healthy detachment from temporary relationships, possessions and realities, and live with a hopeful attitude to what is eternal: the redemption and liberation of humanity by Christ.