Wow, any homilist might think these scripture readings are tough!  Most congregations might, too!
 
Generations of Christian preachers and scholars have identified the city Babylon with different empires over the years. From Rome to the Babylon of Saddam Hussein to some future reincarnation of ancient Babylon, people need to confirm the meaning of an obscure passage.
 
My humble take on this is that we all miss the point when looking for an external enemy to blame. Yet, we keep doing that. We remain mesmerized by the speck in another’s eye and miss the log in our own. The enemy or the sinner is “out there,” in other words.
 
It seems to me that the praise of God which follows the fall of Babylon celebrates the end of the age of systemic injustice and sin. I believe this celebration has more to do with the end of the roots and causes of sin in our world than it is the literal fall of a virtual city. Seems to me, anyway…
 
Even the gospel, which paints a not-so-pretty picture of the end times according to St. Luke, can gets misused in a similar way, terrorizing people today. “The end is near! The sky is falling! Protect yourself!”
 
Rather, Jesus says to stand up and welcome the end times. What a concept! What a counter-intuitive stance!Instead of inducing fear and international drama, the signs in the moon and stars are meant to be blessings.

Here’s one way to look at it. Let’s say that any of us take on a difficult spiritual practice that goes completely against the grain. Let’s say we feel strongly called to conversion – forgiving a life-long enemy, breaking free of some addiction, opening our hearts to immigrants, weeks of fasting, etc...

The ensuing battle with ego/false self would be HUGE when we go against our natural inclinations. The celestial signs in the heavens and earth mirror this battle metaphorically. They mark the end times. They mark the end of our grudge, crutch, isolation, etc... That’s the way these images work, I propose.

So, in one sense, they are pretty good readings afterall ... In a counter-intuitive sort of way. When you see the end coming, stand up and rejoice because salvation is near!

To those who are reading this and celebrate the holiday - Happy Thanksgiving!