33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 13, 2022

Fr. Rick Pilger, I.C. Father Rick’s Gospel Reflection for 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 13, 2022

Luke 21:5-19 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111322.cfm

Please take a moment to read and pray over the gospel.

There are a variety of responses to grief and shock. We find ourselves sometimes asking, “Why did this happen?” Or “How can God allow such a thing to happen?” After the bombing of the World Trade Center, some people were saying that God turned away from us because America turned away from God.

It could be a hurricane or a natural disaster of some kind. The earliest followers of Jesus were waiting for the end of the world and His second coming after he died. Here we are, 2000 years later, still waiting. Jesus tells us not to follow false prophets who want to escape suffering times.

Over ten years ago, my sister and I drove through a town devastated by a tornado ten miles from her home. All you could see were chimneys and driveways leading up to rubble. I cried as I watched people looking for what they could salvage.

Life can be unbearable, but we don’t have to follow the loudest voice that tells us we deserve what we get because we lost God. No, and we haven’t lost God, and neither has a majority of people. And He hasn’t failed us.

But rather listen for the quiet, still voice inside us. It’s the voice of Jesus heard when he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, “Father, let this chalice pass me by, but let not my will but yours be done.” There is our strength to endure any suffering that comes our way.

Jesus gives us the grace to suffer tragedy and even doom with dignity. He is our anchor when the waves of life toss us. Some waves are real for people who lost everything just south of us, and some on the East Coast.

We must grab onto the anchor of hope for ourselves and those who suffer tragedy. Faith is in us, and hope in Christ, our lifeline, is with us. During Holy Communion, let us take into our hands this anchor that will never let us down.

Gospel Challenge:

We must grab onto the anchor of hope for ourselves and those who suffer tragedy. Faith is in us, and hope in Christ, our lifeline, is with us. During Holy Communion, let us take into our hands this anchor that will never let us down.

IGNITE THE FIRE.

God bless you, my friends.

Fr. Rick Pilger, I.C.

www.bscchurch.com

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