You don’t have to go far to find bad news in today’s society. The world is in chaos and even in our own country, we are seeing constant anger and struggles within families and between friends and neighbors. It could be very easy to lose hope and give in to the negative surroundings in which we seem to be stuck. This is where faith and hope must be planted in our hearts so we can find a way to keep moving forward. As Catholics, we have been given such an amazing grace from our faith. It brings us to such a solid relationship with Christ and gives simple, yet profound, ways of growing closer to Him each and every day. Between the sacraments, Scripture, Mass, and other examples, we are given multiple ways to strengthen our faith and hope.

Our Gospel reading this weekend is very powerful yet somewhat scary. Jesus talks to His followers about being persecuted, about wars, and other dangerous world events. Human Beings seem to have a way of not only over-complicating everything, but also being downright mean to each other. Jesus gives stark warnings about the dangers of following Him. People, even family members, would lash out against one another and make others pay because they followed Jesus. Jesus plants the faith and hope seed by telling them that during these times of trial, He will give them the words they need to speak truth and justice for this world. This world does not belong to us but to God and God gives us the wisdom to defend His world and His people. We must take this grace of wisdom very seriously because it is this wisdom that helps us keep moving forward. It is this wisdom that will help, as Jesus says, “By your perseverance, you will secure your life.!”

Have a great week, Deacon Bill