Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, "Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you." He replied, "Go and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out demons, and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day, I accomplish my purpose. Yet I must continue my way today, tomorrow, and the following day, for it is impossible that a prophet should die outside of Jerusalem. - LK 13:32-33
Friends, God is good, all the time.
The joyful and happy Christian life we live can become intertwined with unexpected experiences of illness, pain, sadness, and even constant threat of death. However, when if you and I utterly understand the exceeding comfort that awaits us in the future, we’ll stand firm in the Lord to face every next tactic and move intended to discourage us. So, are we to yield to discouragement that is continuously on the horizon and affecting many people? No!
In the gospel today, a section of the Pharisees who collectively have demonstrated their adversarial tactics to stop Jesus from accomplishing his mission comes to caution him about Herod's intent to eliminate him. With typical fearless disregard for their malice, Jesus reaffirms his mission to bring deliverance to those who need it. ‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.
Christians must learn from the Lord not to permit painful situations to stop them from living their full Christian lives. There is an undercurrent of disappointment, anxiety, distress, pain, shame, and death threat around us. Life itself appears to be hopeless and terrifying in almost every country and the local community today. But you and I must have a reason to be strengthened in our inner selves and "go on from strength to strength."
If you and I can live the full Christian life to the end, which is God's purpose for us, we need to take the advice of Paul seriously to put on God's complete armor. In the past, a warrior's armor consisted of brass and steel. Today, ammunition and bulletproof vest are part of the arsenals of the military. However, the armor of a Christian consists of virtues and graces God gives to strengthen and defend us against all death threats and discouragement, no matter their source and the occasion they arise.
So, rely on God's grace and the Christian virtues of fidelity, trust, love, forgiveness, patience, and kindness, and the mighty power of prayer and God’s word to live each day without permitting your faith and the joyful, happy Christian life you have to be truncated by any Pharisaic, Herod-like moves and threats we confront now or later.
Prayer blessings: Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.