“And from the fig tree learn a parable: When the branch thereof is now tender, and the leaves come forth, you know that summer is nigh. So you also, when you shall see all these things, know ye that it is nigh, even at the doors. Amen I say to you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass, but my words shall not pass. But of that day and hour no one knoweth, no not the angels of heaven, but the Father alone. And as in the days of Noe, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, even till that day in which Noe entered into the ark, and they knew not till the flood came, and took them all away; so also shall the coming of the Son of man be. Then two shall be in the field: one shall be taken, and the one shall be left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill: one shall be taken, and one shall be left.”
Jesus then takes a lesson from the fig tree, that during winter, it seems to be dead, but when spring arrives, the sun shining upon it and the time for blooming arrives, its branches become tender and put forth leaves then fruits: “For winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers have appeared in our land… the fig tree hath put forth her green figs: the vines in flower yield their sweet smell” (Canticle 2:11-13). So too can the lover of God seem dormant, working in the cold of hard seasons of life, or in what feels like an absence of God, but when the need arises for their love to bloom, the fruits they have sown in the winter will then come alive either when the sun of grace shines upon them anew: “The trees of the field shall be filled, and the cedars of Libanus which he hath planted” (Psalm 103:16), or when the winds of adversity come, and they can shine before all as one that truly loves: “Then shall the just shine as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43). The breath of the Holy Spirit softens the heart, making it warm and joyful, and this invigorates the heart from its winter rigidity into a supple spring of tender love, in which time sweet fruit is borne: “His fruit was sweet to my palate” (Canticle 2:3)., rather than surviving the winter: “He sendeth his crystal like morsels: who shall stand before the face of his cold?” (Psalm 147:17). This branch then refers to the adoption of sonship, for this is a divine gift, not taken through force, and is apparent to the one that receives it, for it is one thing to receive the adoption through the state of grace, and another to understand in your heart and mind that you are loved and adopted by God, and can now live in the joy of this grace. St. John Chrysostom mentions that in the scriptures, “generation” does not refer to time only, but more in a manner of life, and thus those that held to the law rather than to the love of Jesus were crushed under the scepter of Rome, but those that were enamored with their God, calling Him not Master nor King, but Beloved: “Behold thou art fair, my beloved, and comely” (Canticle 1:15) were not overthrown by the world, the flesh, or the devil, but rather let love lead them away from these things into the Heart of the Spouse of their souls: “When I had a little passed by them, I found him whom my soul loveth” (Canticle 3:4), which is applicable to all time. Thus, the generation of the Catholic Church, having stood from the time of Jesus unto this day, will not fade, but as the earthly people and work, as well as the heavenly work and conversation fade, better things will be given, for God never takes away except to give something better, the zenith of which is Himself: “As for me, I will appear before thy sight in justice: I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appear” (Psalm 16:15). When He then says that His words shall never pass away, this is to say that in your life of love, you will never outgrow the scriptures and meditating on the humanity of Jesus. While discursive meditation may fade for a greater simplicity, the magnificence of the words of Sacred Scripture will become all the more glorious in this process: “For what things soever were written, were written for our learning: that through patience and the comfort of the scriptures, we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). One day, after confession, St. Faustina was given the penance to say one “Glory Be,” which she could not do, because upon saying the name of any of the persons of the Trinity, she would enter into ecstasy; and so too do His words only become the more savory and delightful to you as you grow in love: “How sweet are thy words to my palate! More than honey to my mouth” (Psalm 118:103), holding His words in your heart as a lover rather than as a thinker or casual reader: “Open thou my eyes: and I will consider the wondrous things of thy law” (Psalm 118:18). Or, this can mean that things solid and immoveable may fade, from rocks to great stars, but His words point to what is immoveable, being the penultimate guardians of justice, truth, goodness, and love, with no philosophy or law being greater than these. While earth and the heavens need not exist, but came from an overflow of love: “He made us, and not we ourselves” (Psalm 99:3), adding nothing to the divine majesty but being there for your enjoyment, that your heart may be perpetually at play, what love truly looks like does not change. While cultures may attempt to adjust the appearance of love, adherence to the Word and His words is truly love, and no object or affection is equal to the gift of being a member of the Catholic Church, to be deeply immersed in the sacramental life and the life of prayer. Now, Jesus says that the angels and saints would not know the day or hour, but St. Mark also includes the Son: “But of that day or hour no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32). This is because the time was not right for it to be shown to the Apostles, for though God knew that Abraham would follow His commandments, it was after a display of faith that God said, “Now I know that thou fearest God” (Genesis 22:12), for to know the day of one’s death or of the Lord’s coming would provide the temptation to put off conversion until that time, rather than entering into the labor of love daily as if it were to be your last. Now, in the Father, the Son knows the time of His coming, but those of the Church, which is His body, do not know, and therefore they are called to be perpetually working in the vineyard, loving the Beloved in prayer and brightening the world with beauty, goodness, and love in their work, always being directed by the flame of love that is the Holy Spirit: “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). It is also a call to turn the eye from the idea of the end times and speculating on them to Jesus, for none know the hour, but to love Jesus is always welcoming you: “Behold now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Jesus said beforehand that wars would be taking place, but to the thoughtless, who are concerned only for their own pleasures, these things would not be bothersome, and so too in the times of Noah were they indulging in all that was disgraceful, not wary that their destruction was coming: “And God seeing that the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and that the thought of their heart was bent upon evil at all times” (Genesis 6:5). Noah would have warned those around him that such a time was coming, only to be ignored, so too is it not your fault when your call to love is not heeded, but rather the hardness of the heart of the hearer. You are not their Savior, Theophila, but merely a vessel of love, but by prayer and loving deeds, you will draw hearts after you without effort: “Till the day break, and the shadows retire, I will go to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense” (Canticle 4:6), for allowing yourself to naturally grow into the full stature of your love will bring you to a magnificent place, where the love of God is second nature and captivating in its spiritual aroma: “The smell of thy garments, as the smell of frankincense” (Canticle 4:11), and you will attain all you desire from your Beloved: “Turn away thy eyes from me, for they have made me flee away” (Canticle 6:4). Two shall be in the field of the world, that is, those that believe in the love of God and those that don’t, with the lovers being gathered into the perpetual warmth of eternal life while the wicked are left to the coldness of their hearts. The two working at the mill are those that labor, the mill itself representing the Law, with those that grind in keeping rules without hearts afire being left behind, whereas those that wear the commandments of God like kingly jewels: “My son, keep the commandments of thy father,” which is God, “and forsake not the law of thy mother,” the Church, “Bind them in thy heart continually, and put them about thy neck” (Proverbs 6:20-21), while their hearts are swept up in His merciful love will be in heaven: “His left hand under my head, and his right hand shall embrace me” (Canticle 8:3). Or, the two working in the field can represent the same labor, with one working with cold resignation, but the other doing all things with good will and a happy heart from an abundance of love: “A cheerful and good heart is always feasting” (Ecclesiasticus 30:27), one will reap the reward of an unwilling toil, the other the rewards of a happy gift: “Every one as he hath determined in his heart, not with sadness, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). The two at the millstone can also be representative of the Catholic Church and other faith traditions that use the same scriptures, in that the Catholic is lifted up in mind and heart into heavenly truths and the fullness of the love story: “And Elias went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (4 Kings 2:11), whereas Jewish and non-Catholic Christian traditions grind at the mill without the fruits of truth: “Ever learning, and never attaining to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7), the poison of teachers like Luther and Calvin infecting the soul that it stays grounded rather than soaring in the heights of love, to which all are called: “A little leaven corrupteth the whole lump” (Galatians 5:9). Now, serpents can also be among Catholic teachers, such as modern scholars that attempt to disprove the scriptures rather than unveiling the love that they contain, or those like Merton and Keating who sought a state of being rather than the infinite love of Jesus. Take great care with what you read, Theophila; make the Scriptures your bedside book, and consider taking counsel before taking up anything outside of them: “Where there is no governor, the people shall fall: but there is safety where there is much counsel” (Proverbs 11:14), for not all books are made the same, and not everything is appropriate for you in your moment in time even amongst the Doctors and Saints. Therefore, cling to the words of your Beloved, let them echo in your heart and water your soul, for truly, you need nothing else to reach the fulness of love: “More than these, my son, require not. Of making many books there is no end: and much study is an affliction of the flesh” (Ecclesiastes 12:12).