Daily Gospel Reflection
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November 13, 2022
While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, “All that you see here–
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”
Then they asked him,
“Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?”
He answered,
“See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end.”
Then he said to them,
“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.
“Before all this happens, however,
they will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
Jesus’ instruction to not prepare a defense in the face of persecution strikes a nerve. As a lawyer, it goes against all professional training. And in my personal life, it goes against my instinct to plan for contingencies and anticipate obstacles. Preparing and analyzing how I would adapt if my plan went awry gives me a sense of control.
In today’s gospel, Jesus challenges our desire to control and anticipate how our plans will unfold. Not by admonishing us from planning but by encouraging us to trust him—that God will be there with us in our darkest, most desperate hours.
How many times have we agonized in fear over a potentially harmful outcome and found that when that outcome finally came, our faith helped us to survive it much better than we had expected? When our fears come to pass or our plans fail to materialize, we can find comfort and strength in our faith in God’s unfailing love.
This instruction to trust God to be present with us extends even to our deaths. In this passage, Jesus warns that some will be put to death, but he also explains that not a hair on their heads will be destroyed. This initially appears contradictory. But, as Christians, we believe that death is not our destruction. We believe in the resurrection and life everlasting.
And we believe that God is with us, always.
Prayer
Gracious Father, you are our comfort, our guide, and our shield through the turbulent tide of personal trials and humanity’s distress. When the troubles of this world rise up against us, give us firm resolve to speak your truth and share your mercy. May we faithfully cling to your wisdom, made flesh in Christ Jesus and dwelling with us in the Spirit. For you are God forever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day
An immigrant herself, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini served thousands of Italian immigrants who came to America at the turn of the century, looking for a better life. She is the first naturalized American citizen to be canonized a saint.
Frances was born in 1850, two months premature, to a very large family in Italy who grew cherry trees. She grew up with a great desire to become a missionary to China, but had chronically fragile health and was not allowed to join a religious order. She began to work as a school teacher in Italy.
By 1880 she had become the headmistress of an orphanage and gathered other women to join her work teaching and raising the children. This community of women formed into a new religious order, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and dedicated themselves to missionary work.
When the order was approved by the pope in 1887, she asked to be sent to China, but the pope instead sent her to serve the large number of Italian immigrants in the United States. Some 50,000 Italian immigrants were living in New York City, many of them in poverty, so she left Italy in 1889 with six other sisters to begin their work. Thanks to her remarkable trust in God and sharp administrative mind, their order grew and established many schools, orphanages, and hospitals.
Her order served people in New York but soon spread to other parts of the nation, then around the world. In 1907, Frances became a citizen of the United States and she died ten years later in Chicago. She is represented in this panel on Notre Dame's law school building:
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is the patron saint of immigrants and hospital administrators. Here is a prayer inspired by her commitment to recognizing the dignity of immigrants:
Loving God,
You led St. Frances Cabrini around the world.
By her example, teach us concern for the stranger.
By her prayers, help us to see Christ in our immigrant Sisters and brothers
And all who welcome them.
By your guidance and Mother Cabrini’s inspiration may we love boldly and work tirelessly to correct injustice
May civic leaders recognize the dignity of all people and the sanctity of the family
And may our nation and our hearts
Be places of welcome.
We ask this through the intercession of St. Frances Cabrini.
Amen.
Some of Mother Frances' relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus, while most of her body is preserved at the Mother Cabrini Shrine in Upper Manhattan. Frances Cabrini's inspiring witness to Christ and image are used by high school students who come to campus for a summer conference with the Notre Dame Vision program.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, who cared for the displaced and poor who came to America as immigrants—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is an illustration by Julie Lonneman, who holds exclusive rights to the further distribution and publication of her art. Used with permission.