This week’s reading is taken from what is often called the mini-apocalypse of St. Mark’s Gospel. Jesus is predicting the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and the suffering that will be inflicted upon his people by the Roman legions. It’s a powerful passage made more powerful by the visuals of the setting in which Mark presents Jesus’ words.

But is there something deeper here than the situation that is being addressed? Is there a universal truth of denial of impending catastrophe? And if so, can we learn a new kind of response?

I believe that it is the Gospel of Jesus that will give us the ability to respond effectively to the present climatic crisis confronting the Earth and its inhabitants. But to respond we’ll have to understand both the challenge we face and the way that the Gospel can transform us into a new kind of society.