Thanksgiving Day / Feast of St Catherine of Alexandria
November 25, 2021 •
Where does the faith of Daniel, where does the faith of St Catherine of Alexandria come from? This absolute trust in God as Deliverer ...
She didn't know whether she was going to be killed by the King after he put her in prison, but she wasn't concerned. Whether God delivered her from that prison, or delivered her from the prison of death itself, she knew she would be delivered.
That's what our Lord is trying to communicate to His disciples, and to all of us, today. He's talking about the end of time, the end of the world, in which death is imminent. It's coming for all of us, you finally can't escape. And that may happen for us before the end of time, whenever we die, death comes for us.
He says to us: "Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand." He's saying don't be afraid even in the face of certain death because I have redeemed you. ...
It's easy in times of peace to say, oh yes, I'll be brave even in those times of persecution. But we have to prepare ourselves for that, even mentally. It's easy to believe you're fearless until you are put into a situation that is truly terrifying. ...
So many of the saints saw martyrdom as a glory. They would imagine ways - how could I die for Jesus? How could I give my life for the Lord, not just for my glory, but for His.
We do this not by killing the enemy in battle, but by sacrificing ourselves in battle - in this spiritual battle. ...
We should have that same fearlessness. ... As adults we should consider this. We should take time, maybe not every day but regularly to consider: How might Christ ask me to die for him? So that, no matter the circumstance of our death, we can at least know we did everything on our part to be ready to love him till the end.
Dn 6:12-28; Lk 21:20-28
Homily begins at 12:10