15 September | Youth
«Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!» Mark 13:1
Missing the mark: this is one of the biblical definitions of sin. It comes from hamartia which, in Greek, means “to fail in one’s duty”, “to fail”, “to lose focus”. This is when the action or intention, however good, does not reach the right target. It strays into something peripheral or irrelevant, it stays on the surface, it loses sight of the essence. This is when you get distracted or take a shortcut.
This happens, for example, with those who go to worship, but do not worship. The Bible text is quoted, and they don’t open the Bible. And the hymn? They don’t sing, even when they know it. They just mumble something. While someone is preaching or reading something, they look at the messages on their cell phone. Look at pictures. Post. Go on social media. Give likes. They wander online, and, numb, disappear into their world, alone. They “pray” with eyes open.
They don’t kneel. They don’t say “amen”. They don’t meditate, don’t feel touched, do not question, they don’t interact, they don’t allow themselves to be affected. They are oblivious. They don’t know the name of whoever is next to them. It doesn’t interest them. They are there, but they are not there. Their thoughts are far away. And their heart, where is it?
Years ago in Madrid, on a Friday, at sunset, I (Júlio) gathered the men who had offered to work voluntarily in the renovation of the church. Some were not Christians. Others had been but had abandoned the faith. As I opened the Bible to the story of Noah, I thanked them for their help and explained to them that not everyone who worked on the ark was saved from the flood. I appealed to them not to be mere temple builders, but faithful believers. Collaborating with the church was a good deed, but not the focus of the action. They got the message. Over time, many of them gave their lives to the Lord.
Jesus’s disciples, standing in front of the Jerusalem temple illuminated by sunset’s golden light, were proud. Then they drew the Master’s attention to that magnificent building. The answer came quickly and accurately: “not one stone shall be left here upon another” (Matt. 24:2).
Then, Jesus changes the direction of the conversation, correcting the disciples’ focus. He makes them see what really matters: the things of Heaven, God’s plans for us. It is that simple. Do you believe in this? If so, ask God in prayer, and He will give you the strength not to stray or become distracted, until you reach your goal.