Breaking the Word

34^th Week in Ord. Time, Wednesday – 23^rd November 2022 — Gospel: Lk 21,12-19

Wisdom from above

At the moment of persecution Jesus promises his followers, “I will give you words and wisdom”.  This reminds of the assurance given to Moses when he drew back from the task of uttering God’s message to His people (Ex 4,15-16). The inward faculty of thought and the outward power of uttering in words, both are given to the believers.  Many instances in the Acts of the Apostles show the splendid fulfillment of this promise. Indeed some disciples, who were brought before both Jewish authorities and Roman officials because of the name of Jesus, were given wisdom and utterance. For example, report of Stephen’s speech (Ch.7) and Paul’s defense spoken before the Roman governor Felix (Ch.25) and before King Agrippa (Ch.26). Jesus offers his presence as a source of strength and wisdom. He rightly points out the aid of the Holy Spirit in this (Lk 12,11-12). If we trust in his promise, then the right words will be given to us at the right time.

34^th Week in Ord. Time, Tuesday – 22^nd November 2022 — Gospel:  Lk 21,5-11

Abiding assurance of Father’s love

To his list of occurrences that precede the end of the world, Jesus names a long list of problems that sound all too familiar to us: earthquakes, famines, and plagues, wars, and the overthrow of what seems so powerful. There is nothing particularly specific about Jesus’ predictions here. We will misread 21,7-11 if we think Jesus is describing a specific set of calamities. Every age has its own false prophets, wars, natural catastrophes, and so on. However, his council in the face of this upheaval is brief: “Do not be terrified.” The believers should keep their trust in God even when facing the most challenging of circumstances. When the existing state of affairs seems to be deteriorating and conflict is sweeping peace away; when disaster and rumor are headlines, how are we not to fear? Heeding Jesus’ command requires discipline, practice, self-control, and especially, a deep, abiding assurance of the Father’s love. In the midst of these dreadful events, the disciples should not be terrified and think that they indicate the end of the world. Instead, we should trust that God remains present in our lives.