Luke 21,12-19 – Wednesday of the XXXIV Week of Ordinary Time – Odd Year
In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to his disciples with disarming sincerity: following him will not protect them from problemsIndeed, he will expose them. They will be caught, persecuted, accused even by the closest people. It’s as if Jesus wanted to say: “Don’t fool yourselves that doing good will make you popular.” And it’s true: the Gospel gives no guarantees of success, it gives meaning to life.
But precisely within this harsh perspective a seed of hope emerges: “You will then have the opportunity to bear witness.” It’s not a fate of fear, it’s an opportunity. Jesus reminds us that when circumstances push us, right there what we really believe is revealed. Faith is not measured when everything goes well, but when everything goes wrong. It is then that the truth of our heart emerges. Then Jesus adds a surprising phrase: “Make sure you do not prepare your defense first.”
It is the opposite of our logic, always ready to calculate, to predict, to put every detail in order. But the Gospel is not a strategy: it is a relationship. Jesus invites us to trust, to let Him put the words in our mouths when we don’t know what to say. It is an invitation not to control everything, not to be the protagonists, but instruments. And as if that wasn’t enough, he promises: “Not even a hair of your head will be lost.”
It doesn’t mean we won’t suffer, but that nothing of our history will be wasted. It is a word that consoles: God does not assure us an easy life, but a protected life. The Gospel ends with an appeal that is almost a spiritual manifesto: “With your perseverance you will save your life”. Perseverance is not obstinacy, it is faithfulness. It’s continuing to believe even when you feel nothing. It’s staying when everything invites you to escape. It is remaining tied to Christ as the only stable rock in the midst of storms.
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