Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 13, 31-35
Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said,
“Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.”
He replied, “Go and tell that fox,
‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow,
and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.
Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day,
for it is impossible that a prophet should die
outside of Jerusalem.’
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,
how many times I yearned to gather your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
but you were unwilling!
Behold, your house will be abandoned.
But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say,
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Struggle for holiness
1. A prophet dies in his homeland. A Christian must die day after day, he must die to sin and to himself. The Lord invites us to live martyrdom, by announcing and being witnesses to God. We are called to live in holiness at home, with our family, at school, at work, in everyday life, but especially at home and with the people closest to us – this is perhaps the hardest struggle for sanctity. But that is where God asks us to try to live in holiness.
2. Die to yourself. You can also die to yourself, renouncing to things you like most, and also avoiding mere appearance, just trying to ‘look’ like a good person to others. Life should always be oriented to God and to His will. Therefore, examine yourself to see if you are truly walking the road to Jerusalem, the sacred and revered place. Your Jerusalem, your sacred place, should be your home, your school, your university or your job, the place where you are daily.
3. Corrupt person. The Lord presents Herod as a ‘fox’, just as we call a corrupt person today. I would like to refer back to one of Pope Francis’s homilies, by pointing out three aspects of a corrupt person. 1) Someone who is corrupt takes others as merchandise, uses people as disposable objects. This type of person has no friends and sees others as individuals to be used. 2) A corrupt person makes innocent people pay the price of his abusive actions. 3) A corrupt person scandalizes the community, creating scandals and consequently causing loss of confidence and pain in others, especially when the one who is involved in the scandal is someone consecrated to the Church or a relative.
Let us ask the Lord for the grace of not falling into corruption, of not scandalizing others and of learning to die to ourselves in our own battlefield (the place where we have to evangelize: our home). Let’s ask the Lord to help us be witnesses of hope and let’s ask Mary, our Mother, to help us go to heaven.
May God Almighty bless you in the name of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. And always remember, Heaven is our goal.
