Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

You are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people acquired by God
to proclaim his marvellous works.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Luke 21,12-19

'But before all this happens, you will be seized and persecuted; you will be handed over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and brought before kings and governors for the sake of my name -and that will be your opportunity to bear witness. Make up your minds not to prepare your defence, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death. You will be hated universally on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your perseverance will win you your lives.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

You will be holy,
because I am holy, thus says the Lord.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Reading this page of the Gospel brings to mind what continues to happen even at the beginning of this 21st century: wars, genocides, unbelievable violence, and hunger. And witnesses to the Gospel continue to be killed even today. They seem to be words written for our day! The number of martyrs, from every Christian denomination, but also from other religions, in the 20th century was incredibly high. And even at the beginning of this new millennium, Christians who courageously bear witness to their faith continue to be violently killed. They stand before our eyes as invaluable witnesses. And they entrust us with a legacy of faith to cherish and to imitate. Evil, with its terrible and cruel violence, believed to defeat them, but they, with their sacrifice, with their blood, with their resistance to the evil one, continue to help us overcome evil with love and faithfulness to the Lord. It is a message that does not fade with the passing of time: indeed, not a hair of their story of love fades. Their testimony urges us to immerse ourselves, together with them, in this movement of love that saves us and the world. Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, in his homily before the corpse of a priest killed by death squads, said that the Lord asks all Christians to be martyrs, that is, to "give their lives." To some, like that priest for whom they were celebrating the funeral, the Lord asks them to give it until the outpouring of blood, but to all, however, he asks them to give it for the Gospel and for others. We receive life not to keep it for ourselves and for our concerns, but to offer it in favour of everyone, particularly for the poorest. The Lord accompanies us as he accompanied them, and will sustain us with his strength.