Today's Gospel is a continuation of
yesterday’s Gospel in which we heard Jesus warning about the end times to come. This was written in Luke’s Gospel at a time
of great persecutions in the Early Church. Today’s message can be very disturbing,
since it foretells that those who follow Jesus will be despised and subjected
to many trials and tribulations all because of their faith. It warns that even those closest family
members and loved ones will turn against us. Living as disciples of Christ does not
promise us the easiest journey through life here on earth. Some of our youth have been studying these
end times messages in their CYO group Bible studies, and some of them have been
very disturbed by these messages, especially in the context in which some of
their Evangelical Christian friends interpret them. I don’t think this message is meant to
provide us with all the answers, to when the end times are coming. Instead, we are called to pray for and to
reach out to those fellow believers who are persecuted or discriminated against
for their faith. We are to think about what it really means
to live out a life of discipleship, to be willing to speak out from the
perspective of faith in an increasingly secular world that can be particularly
hostile to the message we bring. From today’s Gospel, may we feel encouragement
from the message Jesus give to us, empowering us to live out our faith and to
bring our message to the world.
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