Luke 21:12-19

Revelation 15:1-4

Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 7-8, 9

Luke 21:12-19

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.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, help me to endure the persecution and trials in my life that you have mysteriously permitted. Enlighten my mind to give true testimony to you and your Son. May I be inspired by your Spirit of Wisdom to know what to say and not say, and how to say it.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Persecution of Jesus’ Disciples: In the Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that, during the time leading up to Jerusalem’s fall in A.D. 70, they will be persecuted by civil and religious authorities. This persecution, narrated to some degree in the Acts of the Apostles, will give the disciples the opportunity to give testimony to Jesus. The persecution will even divide families such that family members will even hand them over to the authorities. “Jesus demands heroic allegiance that may drive a wedge between family members (Luke 14:26). Whether martyred or persecuted, the faithful will ‘gain’ their lives (Luke 1:19) by laying them down for Christ (Luke 9:24)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 147). By being hated in this life on account of Jesus’ name, Jesus’ disciples will receive the blessing of a great reward in heaven: “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way” (Luke 6:22-23). 

2. Victory Over the Beast: Like the Gospel of John, the Book of Revelation often employs the symbolic number “seven.” The First Reading opens with a vision of seven angels readying to pour out the seven bowls of wrath, understood as the last plagues. Earlier, John contemplated the war, international conflict, famine, pestilence, persecution, and earthquakes unleashed by the breaking of the seven seals (Revelation 6:1-8:1) and the sounding of the seven trumpets (Revelation 8:1-11:15). The three sets of seven are not a linear succession of twenty-one events, but rather similar events retold three times. In a way, the catastrophic events leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem are also events – war, famine, persecution, earthquakes, etc. – that will occur throughout time, and are events that will mark the time leading up to the end of the world. In particular, John contemplates the saints who were victorious despite the attacks of the demonic dragon, which represents Satan, and the sea beast, which represents the Gentile powers who persecuted the Church. In fact, the number “666,” to which the First Reading refers, symbolizes the Roman Emperor Nero Caesar. In his vision, John sees that the “martyrs attacked by the dragon and the sea beast reign victorious through the blood of the Lamb” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 511).

3. They Sang the Song of Moses: The Christian martyrs in the Book of Revelation sing a new Song of Moses. The original “Song of Moses” was sung by the Israelites during the first Exodus, when they were victorious over the Egyptians. It is found in Exodus 15:1-18. The song commemorates Israel’s deliverance and Egypt’s destruction. “It is a hymn of praise [to the Lord], who is hailed as Savior (15:2), Warrior (15:3), Redeemer (15:13), and King (15:18)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Exodus, 36). There are echoes of the original song in the new song: Here, the saints celebrate a new Exodus from the sin and slavery of the world. “It is appropriate for a new song of the sea to be sung in Revelation 15 once the dragon [which symbolizes Satan] and the beast of the sea [which symbolizes evil Gentile powers] are defeated” (Barber, Coming Soon, 188). The martyrs and all of God’s holy people who have remained faithful unto death in the great tribulation and trial sing God’s praises. John sees them worshipping in heaven before the end of history. “Their song celebrates the deliverance of those among the nations who will get come to worship (Revelation 15:4) and celebrates God’s triumph over his adversaries that is about to unfold through the angels with the seven last plagues. It is called the song of the Lamb because it is about the victory achieved through the blood of the Lamb, who ransomed human beings for God (Revelation 5:9; see also 12:11)” (Williamson, Revelation, 256).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, grant me a share in your wisdom. Strengthen me to persevere and fight the good fight. Do not let the enemy overcome me or let my steps stray from the path that leads to eternal life with you.

Living the Word of God: What have I suffered in my life because of the name of Jesus? Have I been afraid to defend the moral teachings of Christ and the Church recently? Why or why not?