https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111625.cfm
Please take a moment to read and pray over the gospel
Over a decade ago, my sister and I witnessed the resilience of the human spirit in a town devastated by a tornado. Despite the destruction, people were searching for hope amidst the rubble.
Again, the same thing happened after last year’s hurricanes. I gasped in shock while driving down Gulf Blvd., seeing everyone’s belongings on the street. Not a single home was spared. People in our area are still recovering from Helene and Milton.
People respond to grief and shock in different ways. Some people ask, “Why did this happen?” or “How can God allow such a thing to happen?” After the bombing of the World Trade Center, some people said that God turned away from us because America turned away from God.
That is not the Father Jesus revealed. Jesus warns us against following false prophets who spread fear by claiming that the end of the world is near.
Life can be challenging, but we don’t need to heed the loudest Voice that says we deserve what we get because we’ve lost God. No, we haven’t lost God, and most people haven’t either. Nor has He failed us.
Instead of listening to voices that try to alarm us about the end, let us listen for the quiet, still Voice inside. It’s the Voice of Jesus heard when he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, “Father, let this chalice pass me by, but let not my will but yours be done.” When something is taken from us, God will replace it with something much better. Resurrection always comes after crucifixion for a disciple of Jesus.
Look at the generosity of individuals and businesses who opened their hearts and their doors to feed people who weren’t getting paid and food over the past number of weeks.
Christians in Nigeria face persecution for their faith. Since 2009, over 50,000 people have been martyred by rebels. When Jesus said, “Not a hair of your head will be harmed,” he didn’t mean their physical lives would be spared but that they would have the wisdom and courage to hold onto the hope for eternal life prepared for them from the foundations of the world.
Their hearts were pierced like the Heart of Jesus, so they could fully dedicate themselves to God for the salvation of those who martyred them. Jesus echoed the words from His Cross in their hearts, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.”
There is our strength to endure any suffering that comes our way. In that still, small Voice in our hearts is the hope that something better is around the corner.
Jesus gives us the grace to suffer tragedy and even doom with dignity. He is our Anchor when the waves of life toss us.
Gospel Challenge:
We must cling to the Anchor of hope for ourselves and for those who suffer tragedy. Faith resides in us, and hope in Christ, our lifeline, is with us. During Holy Communion, let us take into our hands, our mouths, and our hearts this Anchor that will never let us down.
Please God, we can then be an anchor of hope for someone who is on the verge of despair, asking, “What am I going to do now?”
Love Your Neighbor.
God bless you, my friends.
Fr. Rick Pilger, I.C.
www.bscchurch.com
