34TH WEDNESDAY HOMILY OF THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR B
34TH WEDNESDAY HOMILY OF THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: BE STRONG
BY: Fr. Paul Karabari
‘But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance, you will gain your lives.’
You probably already know this, but choosing to follow Jesus doesn’t mean that everything is easy from that point forward. In reality, living as a Christian can often have its own set of challenges. The Bible says: ‘Everyone who wants to live as God desires, in Christ Jesus, will be persecuted’ (2 Timothy 3:12).
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In the Gospel of today (Luke 21:12-19), Jesus prepares the minds of His followers for the persecutions ahead. Christians should expect to suffer persecution not only from enemies outside the Church but also from traitors among them (parents, brothers, sisters, and friends). Some would be killed even. It is strange to hear that some people would be hated for the sake of Christ, who is love and goodness. One can be innocent and still suffer persecution.
Sometimes, we can end up asking, ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’ or, ‘I have been through enough, why me?’ But we are not promised an easy life. Jesus never said ‘Follow me, and it will be an easy and uneventful life.’ He actually said: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’ Following Jesus requires sacrifice and endurance.
We may not be facing death, but we can suffer betrayal, hurt, persecution, and fear, too. We may even have times when we have been in the valley for so long that we feel like God has abandoned us. But He will never abandon us. He walks through the suffering with us. Jesus understands everything we have to face in life. He knows what it is like to face the things that hurt us. He knows what it is like to be tempted. He knows what it is like to be rejected by other people. He knows what it is like to feel grief, sadness, and fear. We never have to face anything on our own or work through things in our own strength. He promises to be right there helping us through. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God have mercy on us, heal our world and land, bless and protect us all through Christ, our Lord Amen.
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