The Gospel reading for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C from Luke 21:5-19 holds a challenge particularly for those of us who are not known for being patient!
However, it does remind us that often what seems to be the reality might not be so in the long term. Luke’s words to his community, written approximately 20 years after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, were to offer them hope and encouragement in the face of their sense of disaster and the persecutions they were experiencing.
As we hear this reading and reflect on it in the coming week, may we also draw encouragement for our own lives. Every day we hear of conflicts, the persecution of innocent people, environmental disasters, political mayhem, injustices and the exploitation of Earth and of people. May we draw hope as we daily live with diminishment and the dying down of much that we have given our lives for in Church and religious life. …“do not be terrified: for these things must take place first, but the end will not be at once.” (v 9)
In solidarity with Luke and his community, let us hold firm to this word of God and with greater patience and endurance, support one another and others on the way.
The following reflection by Veronica Lawson RSM is offered here as a resource for your prayer and reflection in the coming week:
https://www.mercyworld.org/f/45074/x/a1870c6564/reflection-on-the-gospel-ot-33c-vl-101119.pdf
This reflection first appeared at https://www.mercyworld.org/
https://youtu.be/q-HDkU-nYGo?t=10