Wednesday of the 34th week in ordinary time year A
Daniel 5: 1-6.13-14.16-17.23-28 Luke 21: 12-19
Theme: A message of hope
In the gospel reading of today from St. Luke, Jesus presents to us as his followers a message of hope, to strengthen us in times of persecution and the challenges that are bound to come to us from time to time. The assertion of Jesus gives us an insight into what we shall encounter in our lives, because of the choice we have made to be a follower of Christ. According to an African proverb, “A stone that one sees coming will not blind him or her”. This is because you already have the knowledge that it is coming, and you can easily protect yourself from it. This is exactly what Jesus have done for all of us as his followers. He is preparing us for what awaits us, as his followers. Persecution and challenges because of our option for Christ, is not something we can run away from, so we must prepare and be ready for it. When we have done what we should do as humans, we leave the rest to God, who will fulfil his promises to us as presented in todays gospel reading. However, he emphasized the need for us to remain steadfast until the end, because that is what will give us the salvation that we seek. Remember, by your endurance you will gain your lives.
The mistake some of us as Christians make sometimes, is that we yield to evil by joining the oppressors because we don’t want the persecution we are facing to continue. The gospel reading of today makes it clear that it will be a grave mistake for us to do that. There is no gain saying that persecution can be a very difficult and challenging time for anyone who encounters it at any point in time. Let the promise of hope given to us today by Jesus himself continue to strengthen your faith in God at such moments in your life. We trust on Gods promises because he is ever faithful to his word and never disappoints all those who trust in him. Even though sometimes it seems as if we have lost, but on the long run you will realize that you are rather the victor.
In the 1st reading of today from the Book of the prophet Daniel, we see how God treated king Belshazzar, the son of king Nebuchadnezzar who desecrated the sacred vessels that was collected in the Temple in Jerusalem. Sometimes it may take some time, but God will always fulfil his word in the lives of his people. Let us always trust in God, even in times of persecution, he will never fail or disappoint you. May the Lord bless his words in our hearts in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.