MARY, OUR MOTHER

SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY #447

And Jesus being come out of the temple, went away. And his disciples came to shew him the buildings of the temple. And he answering, said to them: "Do you see all these things? Amen I say to you, there shall not be left here a stone upon a stone that shall not be destroyed."
And when he was sitting on mount Olivet, the disciples came to him privately, saying: "Tell us when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the consummation of the world?" And Jesus answering, said to them: "Take heed that no man seduce you. For many will come in my name saying, 'I am Christ.' And they will seduce many. And you shall hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that ye be not troubled. For these things must come to pass: but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And there shall be pestilences and famines and earthquakes in places. Now all these are the beginnings of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and shall put you to death: and you shall be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be scandalized and shall betray one another and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise and shall seduce many. And because iniquity hath abounded, the charity of many shall grow cold. But he that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved." (Matt. 24:1-13)

AFTER THE STORMING OF FORT ANTONIA, the attack was directed against the mount on which the Temple was built. After vain efforts to take the Temple by storm, Titus commanded that its gates and colonnade of cedar wood should be set on fire. He wished to save the actual Temple, but, in the excitement of the battle, a soldier threw a burning brand into the Sanctuary, and soon the glorious Temple was a heap of ruins. The fight was so furious that blood flowed literally in streams down the steps of the Temple. Finally, the upper city on Mount Sion was taken. Every Jew whom the conquerors met was cut down, and the houses with their inhabitants within were burnt. For two days and two nights the conflagration lasted, and on the third day nothing remained of the holy city but a heap of ashes.

[From 'A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture' by Bishop Knecht, D.D.]
(1899 Douay-Rheims Bible)