Homily 17.11.2019

Dear brothers and sisters.
Today's gospel starts in the Temple. The Beautiful Temple which took 46 years to build, spectacular and magnificent. While some people were speaking about the beauty of the Temple Jesus said something what was unexpected. "All these things you are staring at now - the time will come when not single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed". Sometimes our Master Jesus speaks and teaches not with tranquility but he prepares us for hard and rigid times. Like the moment when we must acknowledge Jesus. In the gospel according to Matthew (10,32) Jesus teaches us: "Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven". We are conscious that Jesus speaks about end of the world.
When the followers of Jesus heard and we heard, today, hear this story, about end of the world naturally we ask: "When will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that this is about to take place?"
What is Jesus' answer to this question? "Take care not to be deceived" "because many will using my name and saying, "I am he" and "The time is near at hand". Today we can find out if the words of Jesus are true. Some people don't believe in  Jesus any more  but they have a different religion with name of  consumerism or hedonism. Sometimes we can find our lives like that, we live only for pleasure. Pleasure and the good life are not wrong but these are not the true meaning of our lives.
At this point I need to ask myself,  you need ask yourself,' what is meaning of my life?' As Catholics and Christians we have the correct answer: Jesus is meaning of my live. Jesus said to us in the gospel according to John: "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me". Jesus gives our lives meaning, only if we want. If I don't follow Jesus I will be a 'free person'. I can doing everything and anything in my live.
If I want to follow Jesus I need to acknowledge Him. It's not possible to be  Catholic and Christian without this acknowledgement. Every day we are called give witness. Show to world: Yes, I am catholic, I am a catholic priest, I am a catholic husband, wife, we are a catholic family.  It's impossible to live a catholic life whiteout  acknowledging Jesus before others. Even that is not easy, of course today being a catholic is not easy. Never in history was it easy.  Jesus says that in today's gospel: Men will seize you and persecute you because of my name- and that will be your opportunity to bear witness.
In addition Jesus tells us how we can defended ourselves: 'Your are 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'. We should listen carefully: ' I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom'. Do we want to receive this reward from Jesus? If our answer is: Yes; we need to listen carefully our Master Jesus, we need  to read the gospel in order to discover what he wants to give us. We need to nourish our lives with the Body and Blood of Jesus. It is not enough do that only sometimes but every day with endurance.
Jesus teaches us in the last sentence of today's gospel: "Your endurance will win you your lives".
With endurance we need follow Jesus, with endurance we need to listen to His word, with endurance we need nourish our lives with the Body of Christ.
Your endurance will win you your lives.