Seeing the World Anew: Jesus' Apocalyptic Message Through the Eyes of Thomas Merton and Joseph Cardijn

Setting the Scene

Okay, so picture this: You’re one of the thousands of people who’ve been following Jesus around Judea. You make the journey to Jerusalem during what turns out to be the last few weeks of his life. This is actually where we are right now—at the end of our liturgical year. The gospel stories you have been hearing the last few weeks, today, and next Sunday. But here’s my question: Do we really get it? Do we understand what was happening back then, and why it still matters to us today?

Friends, what did the people around Jesus actually hear when he spoke during those final weeks?

Because when we hear phrases like “The Kingdom of God,” “the end of the age,” or “the Son of Man coming on the clouds,” we tend to imagine Hollywood-style apocalypses, right? Explosions everywhere. The world is collapsing in on itself.

But in Jesus’ world—Roman-occupied Judea—those same words sounded completely different. They were politically charged, spiritually urgent, and honestly? Full of hope.

I want to explore that message through two incredible lenses: Thomas Merton, the contemplative monk who teaches us to see truth beneath all our illusions, and Joseph Cardijn, who offers practical steps we can actually use: See. Judge. Act.

Together, they help us hear Jesus not as some distant prophet of doom, but as a living voice calling us to transformation right here, right now.

SEE: What Did People Actually See and Hear?

Joseph Cardijn always said, “Before we judge or act, we must see what is really there.” So let’s look at Jesus’ final weeks through the eyes of someone actually living in first-century Judea. And hey, come back to this after you listen to next week’s Gospel reading.

The Political Powder Keg (Then and Now)

It was Passover season—a time when Jerusalem was absolutely packed with pilgrims celebrating God’s liberation from Egypt. And how did Rome respond? With extra soldiers, tightened security, and zero tolerance for anyone who didn’t buy into the Roman worldview. The air was thick with both expectation and fear.

What “Apocalyptic” Really Meant

Here’s something important: Jesus’ message was apocalyptic, but not in the destructive sense we think of today. Do we even know what that word meant back then?

“Apocalypse” in Greek literally means “unveiling” or “revelation.” Jesus was essentially saying, “God is pulling back the curtain. Everything that’s been hidden is about to be exposed.”

And people heard this as:

• Hope for liberation

• Judgment on corruption

• The renewal of Israel

Jesus Takes On the Temple

When Jesus overturned those tables in the Temple, he wasn’t just having a bad day. He was performing what we’d call a prophetic sign—precisely like the prophets Jeremiah or Ezekiel used to do. He was showing everyone: “This system is sick. God wants honesty, mercy, and justice—not exploitation.” (What would be a “temple establishment” today? Worth thinking about.)

Rome’s Perspective

Now imagine you’re a Roman official. You’ve got a crowd shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David.” You’ve got this preacher talking about a new kingdom. You’ve got a guy drawing massive crowds during Passover week. Rome had one word for all of this: threat and insurrection. Time to send in the troops.

So before anything else even happens, Jesus is already walking straight into a storm.

When you watch the news today, do you see similar patterns?

JUDGE/DISCERN: What Did Jesus Ask People to Discern?

Cardijn’s second step is Judge or Discern. And this isn’t about being judgmental—it’s about discerning truth from illusion.

This is precisely what Thomas Merton insists on: “A contemplative is someone who sees through the illusions of the world.”

A Different Kind of Apocalypse

Jesus offers something completely unexpected. Not violence. Not a political uprising. Not destruction.

His apocalypse—his revelation—is:

• The unveiling of God’s mercy

• The exposure of injustice

• An invitation to radical conversion

Merton would put it this way: “Jesus exposes our false self—our illusions of power, control, and superiority.”

Naming Personal and Social Sin

Jesus names both personal and social sins:

• Greed

• Domination

• Oppression

• Religious hypocrisy

• The violence that people mistakenly think will save them

This is where Merton becomes so helpful. He says racism, militarism, and materialism aren’t accidents—they’re spiritual diseases born from a false self that fears the other. Jesus, like a good physician, exposes the disease so healing can actually begin.

Warning About Violence

Jesus wasn’t predicting the end of the world. He was predicting the end of Jerusalem’s political path. He saw the growing zealot nationalism (think Christian Nationalism today), the anger against Rome, and the revolutionary fever building. And he says, “If you live by the sword, you will die by the sword.”

Merton echoes this 2,000 years later: “Violence begets violence. It is the law of the fallen world.”

Jesus judges—not to condemn—but to save. Now think about that when we judge and discern. Where do our minds, hearts, and guts naturally gravitate?

ACT: What Did Jesus Call People to Do?

Now we get to Cardijn’s final step: Act.

And here’s something beautiful that we often miss: Jesus’ apocalyptic teaching isn’t about predicting dates—it’s about prompting decisions.

A Change of Vision

Jesus calls for repentance—metanoia. That’s “a change of mind,” or better yet, a change of seeing. Jesus is saying, “The world is about to turn. Open your eyes. Wake up. Live differently.”

Building a New Community

This is what Merton calls “the hidden ground of love.” Jesus builds a community that’s not based on tribe, not based on purity, not based on power, but on compassion, forgiveness, and shared dignity. This is the Kingdom of God.

Choosing Love Over Fear

By far the hardest thing for humans to do, right? This is where Merton’s contemplative voice becomes absolutely priceless. He says, “The real apocalypse is the unveiling of love in a world built on fear.”

Jesus calls us to act by:

• Rejecting scapegoating

• Refusing violent solutions

• Welcoming the outcast

• Practicing mercy

• Trusting God more than empire or ideology

The Cross: The Ultimate Act

Jesus enters the violence of the world... not to return it, but to absorb it and transform it. It’s the anti-apocalypse. The unexpected revolution. Power is completely redefined through self-giving love.

Bringing It Home: What This Means for Us Today

So what do See–Judge–Act and Merton teach us about living Jesus’ apocalyptic message in our world?

1. SEE: Look Honestly at the World

Where is fear driving our politics? Who’s being scapegoated? What illusions are we living under? Where is God unveiling something new?

2. JUDGE: Discern Through the Eyes of Christ

What does the Gospel actually say about dignity, justice, and mercy? How do we confront our own complicity in systems that cause harm? Are we seeking power or communion?

3. ACT: Choose the “Kingdom” Way

• Practice mercy in a world of blame

• Practice community in a world of isolation

• Practice peace in a world of retribution

• Practice truth in a world of propaganda

• Practice contemplation in a world of noise

As Merton would say, “The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves.” That’s the Kingdom in miniature.

Questions to Ponder and Discuss

Jesus’ apocalyptic message wasn’t about predicting the end of time. It was about revealing the truth of our world and inviting us into a new way of living. Can we do this today? What’s stopping us from moving forward?

Here are some questions for your groups:

On Seeing and Illusions: What’s one illusion Jesus might be calling us to let go of—about ourselves, others, God, or society? How can we cultivate a more contemplative way of seeing, like Merton encourages, in our culture of constant distraction?

On Your Mission: Cardijn emphasized forming “apostles in the world.” Where’s our mission field? Home? Workplace? Civic engagement? Online? Your parish? What would it look like for our group to practice See–Judge–Act on an ongoing basis? What issue might we begin with?

On Hope: At the heart of Jesus’ apocalyptic preaching is hope. What gives you hope today? Where do you see resurrection breaking into the world’s Good Fridays?

My Closing Thought

The real apocalypse isn’t the destruction of the world. It’s the unveiling of God’s mercy in a world desperate for hope.