Wednesday 25 November 2020 - 34th week of Ordinary Time - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 21, 12-19 - Be faithful unto death, says the Lord, and I will give you the crown of life.

Jesus makes known in advance to his disciples the persecution and sufferings they have to endure: arrest, imprisonment, beatings, hatred? It is through the sufferings that they can feel that they are fully united to Jesus, not only physically but also spiritually. It seems like a defeat, but it is the path that must be taken to be a witness, to be able to defend the truth; to build the Kingdom of God in the lives of men, to give happiness to others. We must suffer to make others happy. It is clear from this Gospel that it is not easy to follow Jesus because we have to suffer, but it ends in success and victory, because Jesus is there, the One who conquered the world. His disciples never fight alone, He is always there, as He promised: "Behold, I am with you always, until the end of time".

As we live our daily lives, Jesus is in us, through his Holy Spirit, through the various sacraments, especially the sacrament of the Eucharist. There are battles we face every day, such as the defence of faith. This battle that we face every day leads us to the final victory with Jesus, the resurrection. Jesus promised his disciples that he would give them the word and the wisdom to face their accuser. The disciples were not scholars, they were ordinary people, but it is the Holy Spirit who is their guarantor, giving them clarity, words and wisdom. It is the same for us in our daily lives when we defend our faith. Amen!