Daily Gospel Reflection
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November 27, 2024
Jesus said to the crowd:
“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.”
Throughout my life, I walked each day in fear—fear of loss, betrayal, pain, embarrassment, failure, and disapproval. Those fears were real and formed from painful experiences, including betrayal from those I loved and served most. Those fears also robbed me of living life the way that God intended. They robbed me of trusting others and displaying my faith in God.
As I work with teachers and administrators, I often ask them what hinders their participation in different settings and what hinders children’s participation in school. Fear is a typical answer to these questions, and the list of specific fears is long. As we interact with others, do we consider the impact of fear on those interactions? Do we know the fears that the people we love experience?
In today’s passage, Jesus warns that his followers will undoubtedly face challenges—hatred, betrayal, seizure, interrogation, and persecution—not attributed to their actions but rather because of Jesus’ name. Yet, Jesus’ focus is not on this list of challenges but on what follows. “It will lead to your giving testimony…and I myself shall give you wisdom in speaking…By your perseverance, you will secure your lives.”
Jesus invites us to give our testimony, persevere, and secure our lives. He promises to give us wisdom. Will I focus on the challenges and fears or focus on trusting and relying on God’s promises? This Thanksgiving, I have a new appreciation and gratitude for the healing in my life, the opportunities to give my testimony, the perseverance I continue to develop as I learn to trust God more each day, and the enduring wisdom that Jesus shares with me.
I pray that we all will experience hope and freedom from the fears that hinder our hearts from fully embracing the present moment.
Prayer
O, Christ, our lives pattern your own. You were beaten and spat upon for loving a world unused to love. We, however, expect not to be hated by the world, but admired by it; not to be betrayed, but to succeed. Save us from the lie that your name, Jesus, will bring us only success, praise, and power. Give us the endurance to suffer because we have become such great lovers of the world that we bear you in our very bodies. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Despite the city attached to his name, St. Virgil of Salzburg was actually from Ireland—he was a pilgrim on his way to the Holy Land who stopped in Salzburg on his journey and stayed as its bishop.
As abbot of a monastery in Ireland in the eighth century, Virgil was one of the most learned men in Europe (he even gained the sobriquet the “The Geometer” for his knowledge of geometry). Virgil decided to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and he and his fellow companions sailed to France. Virgil spent two years wandering and traveling throughout Europe but did not get any farther east than Bavaria.
During a stay in Salzburg, Virgil was appointed abbot of a monastery, a role that included administrative duties for the bishop of that diocese. He performed these duties admirably and found himself compelled to accept an appointment as bishop of Salzburg.
Virgil ran into trouble with St. Boniface, who disagreed with some of his decisions and teachings and complained to the pope. These inter-saint disagreements came to nothing, however, and Virgil continued on his tenure as a fantastically effective bishop without further disruption from saint or sinner. Virgil rebuilt the cathedral in Salzburg to become an even larger and grander building than it had been originally and sent missionaries to evangelize the surrounding regions.
Virgil himself traveled to preach the Gospel to new people, as far as Hungary and is known as the Apostle to the Slovenians. When he returned from one such journey, Virgil, unfortunately, fell ill and died on this date, November 27, in 784. Virgil was renowned for his great knowledge and his holiness, and his feast is celebrated both in Ireland and throughout central Europe.
St. Virgil of Salzburg, Irish abbot who left for a Holy Land pilgrimage and found himself bishop of Salzburg—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Virgil of Salzburg is available for use under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Modified from the original. Last accessed October 18, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
