The Proclamation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke
[12] But before all these things, they will lay their hands upon you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and into prisons, dragging you before kings and governors, for my name' s sake. [13] And it shall happen unto you for a testimony.[14] Lay it up therefore into your hearts, not to meditate before how you shall answer: [15] For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to resist and gainsay.
[16] And you shall be betrayed by your parents and brethren, and kinsmen and friends; and some of you they will put to death. [17] And you shall be hated by all men for my name' s sake. [18] But a hair of your head shall not perish. [19] In your patience you shall possess your souls.
The Gospel of the LordPraise to you Lord Jesus Christ
MEDITATION: The Gospel for this Wednesday tells us about the
persecutions we will face before we see the signs, and the destruction of the
Temple that was foretold by Jesus Christ. Our Lord tells us that we will be
handed over to governments and rulers because of the Lord’s name which will be the
“culprit” why we are being persecuted. But our Jesus Christ advices us that we
must remember that we are not going to prepare a defense and on giving
testimony before them for our Lord Jesus Christ assures us solidly that He
Himself will give us wisdom in speaking that all of our enemies will be
powerless to resist or refute. In the first reading today (Daniel 5:1-28),
Daniel was in service for king Belshazzar who is the son of Daniel’s former
boss, king Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel was brought before the king but not to defend
himself, but to be used to interpret the words on the wall written by fingers
of a human hand that writes alone and just itself! That is frightening which
left the king and his company in confusion where even his people of
extraordinary powers such as enchanters had no means to interpret the words
written. But when Daniel who has the Holy Spirit in him was brought in, he gave
the meaning and interpretation of these words. Now, let us remember that it is
not Daniel just by himself who speaks but the Holy Spirit that is in him that
made him to be known for his brilliant knowledge and god-like wisdom for
without the Holy Spirit, Daniel is nothing by himself.
The sad and disturbing thing here is even our parents,
brothers, relatives, and friends – all of our closest neighbors, will be the
one who will hand us over to the persecutors and some of us to death. We will
all be despised because of Jesus Christ’s name, but do not worry for God fully
knows us that even all of our hairs on our head are numbered and, if it is so,
then God’s knowledge of us His servants and handmaids will never be destroyed.
By our perseverance until the end for God, we will secure our lives but not
because we are saving ourselves, but because we lose our lives for God’s sake
thus saving our lives.
In the end, our persecutors, all of them, will taste death
that God reserved for them. Like king Belshazzar who desecrated the sacred
vessels of the Lord, who became arrogant of heart despite the fact that he knew
what is good and what is bad, who rebelled against the Lord of heaven, who
praised the gods who were not really gods at all making himself an idol
worshipper, who did not glorified the Only One God that must be rendered glory
for He Himself is the Only One who deserves glorification; God sent a message
for all of them that will make their face pale, their thoughts will terrify
them, their hip joints will be shaken, and their knees will be knocked. For God
says MENE, TEKEL, PERES to them which means:
“MENE, God has numbered the reign of your evilness and put
an end to it; TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found insufficient;
PERES, you of evilness, your body and soul together has been divided for Satan
and his demons into the eternal damnation.”
So that will be the fate of all of our evil persecutors.
Truly, truly the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary in her
only recorded Canticle fits our first reading and the Gospel for today (Luke
1:46-55) :
[46] And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. [47] And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. [48] Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. [49] Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name. [50] And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him. [51] He hath showed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. [52]He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. [53] He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. [54] He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy: [55] As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.
Here are some points to consider:
1 We must let the Holy Spirit live and act in us.
2. Let us trust God that He will send the Holy Spirit in us
that will speak for us against our enemies and persecutors.
3. Let us live the righteousness that Queen Mary said in her
Magnificat.
4. Let us not imitate king Belshazzar but let us imitate
Mama Mary.
5. We must always remember that, “the fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom.”
6. Contemplare et contemplata aliis tradere
7. Laudare, Benedicere, Praedicare
VERITAS!
“Jesus, I trust in You.” “O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee.”
To the greater glory of God!
Mary H. Distributist
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