May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for
us.
Our readings from the Sacred Scriptures provide two messages
for us today. One is a message of
warning. The other is a message of hope.
In our reading from the book of the prophet Daniel, we hear
about a time of great distress for the chosen people of the Lord. In our reading from the Gospel we hear about
a time of great tribulation when everything that brings light will be banished
from the skies. It will be a time of great
darkness. Our readings today provide for
us a warning that distress and tribulation and persecution will be part of the experience
of the people of God. This was the
experience of the chosen people of the Lord in the time of the prophet
Daniel. This was the experience of the
early Church. And, dear brothers and
sisters, this is and it will be our experience as well.
In nearly every corner of the world the precious and
fundamental right of religious freedom is under attack. The government of this country has been
consistent in the last few years in its unwavering assault on the dignity of
human life, on the dignity and nature of marriage, and on the freedom of
conscience. In many other parts of the
world Christians are being killed every day by those who hate our faith. Christians are being killed every day
throughout this world because they are seeking to live the virtues of the
Gospel. It is a time of distress,
tribulation, and persecution.
And yet, my dear brothers and sisters, it is a time for
holiness and a time for hope. Every
government that has persecuted the Church has eventually fallen. The Church and her people, and her unwavering
faith, remain. Holiness and hope will always
triumph over persecution and distress.
Our task is to listen attentively to the voice of the
Lord. The scriptures promise us that
everything else will pass away. Heaven
and earth will pass away. Persecution and
distress and tribulation will pass away.
The governments that persecute the Church and her people will pass away.
But the word of the Lord will remain forever.
The message of hope that we hear today is that the Lord is
present among his people in the midst of distress, tribulation and persecution. In the time of the prophet Daniel, the
Archangel Michael was given as a protector for the people. In the gospel, the Lord Jesus promised to be
present to his people through his word until he returns with great power and
glory. The Lord Jesus has promised to
gather us from the ends of the earth. He
has called us, as his own beloved children, to shine in this world like the
stars of the sky. No matter the darkness
of this world, the Lord Jesus calls each of us to reflect his light and his
love.
In order to reflect his light and his love, we must live in
his light and in his love. In the Letter
to the Hebrews, we hear that Christ our High Priest has offered the perfect and
acceptable sacrifice and that he has taken his seat at the right hand of
God. When we gather for the celebration
of the Eucharist, the word of the Lord that endures forever is proclaimed to
us. When we celebrate the Eucharist, we
are joining in the one offering of Christ.
We were united to him in our baptism on earth and so we are also united
to him in the temple of heaven. When we
respond to the invitation of the Lord and join in the celebration of his triumph
over sin and death, we encounter the light of his glory. And when, dear brothers and sisters, we
encounter the light of his glory, we are transformed and we reflect the light
of his glory.
As we now enter into the mystery of the suffering, death and
resurrection of the Lord, let us remember our brothers and sisters who are
suffering persecution throughout the world.
Let us listen attentively to the enduring word of the Lord and his
message of hope. And let us be
transformed by the light of the Lord’s teaching so that we can reflect the
light of his glory.
Preached (in Spanish) at Our Lady of
Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
