HOMILY FOR 34TH WEDNESDAY IN ORDINARY TIME — YEAR B
HOMILY FOR 34TH WEDNESDAY IN ORDINARY TIME — YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world”
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Jesus said to the crowd: ʺThey will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
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We continue reading from the Apocalyptic Discourse of Jesus. He warns His disciples of impending persecutions. This is not meant to frighten them and weaken their faith. Rather, He exhorts them to persevere and remain faithful no matter what happens: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
These words of Jesus, by the time St. Luke writes his Gospel, are not totally new and surprising to the early Christians. They all have known what happened to the Lord Himself. These may as well be seen as a description of all His sufferings in the hands of His enemies. He has already forewarned His disciples about this before: “No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (Jn 15:20). But He hastens to assure them: “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world” (Jn 16:33).
Hence, Jesus urges His followers to trust Him completely. Before judges and governors, they are unassailable: “I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.” Before certain physical harm, they have complete protection: “Not a hair on your head will be destroyed.” So, Jesus calls them to persevere and remain steadfast in the faith: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
Life in this world is full of problems and trials. Every day we encounter difficulties and sufferings. These are opportunities for the exercise of patience and perseverance. And instead of weakening us, they strengthen us in our resolve to follow Christ. This is shown in the life of the early Christians. The more they are persecuted, the more rapidly the number of followers increased. This led Tertullian, a famous early Christian author, to conclude: “The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians.”
Today, let us reflect on the virtues of patience and perseverance. Patience enables one to endure painful and difficult situations without complaint. Perseverance, on the other hand, is being steadfast and persistent in one’s determination to achieve his goal in spite of obstacles and opposition. It may be easy to practice certain virtues for a day, or a week , but to do so every day for the rest of one’s life is an altogether different thing.
Patience does not mean being passive in the face of oppression and suffering. Venerable Fulton Sheen said, “Patience is power. Patience is not an absence of action; rather it is ‘timing’. It waits on the right time to act, for the right principles and in the right way.”
The ordinary circumstances of daily life give us many opportunities to practice patience. In the first place, we must be patient with ourselves, knowing well our own weaknesses. St. Francis de Sales said, “Have patience with all things, but first and foremost with yourself.” Secondly, we also encounter the weaknesses and defects of other people. We must be patient with them, too, for many of them are sincerely trying to improve themselves.
And finally, there are many circumstances in daily life that are occasions to practice patience – traffic congestion, changes in schedule, an obnoxious person, setbacks in projects, sickness, financial difficulties, forgetfulness, and many others.
Clearly, then, patience is a virtue both in times of persecutions and in our daily life. Pope St. Gregory the Great even calls it another form of martyrdom: “All the saints have been martyrs either of the sword or of patience. We can be martyrs without the sword if we keep patience.” Being faithful to the Lord and His precepts day in and day out despite all the discomfort, opposition and obstacles is a mark of a true disciple of Christ.
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