Catholic Preaching

Persevering With Faith and Hope through Trials, 33rd Sunday (C), November 16, 2025

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Msgr. Roger J. Landry

Convent of the Missionaries of Charity, Bronx, NY
Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
World Day of the Poor
November 16, 2025
Mal 3:19-20, Ps 98, 2 Thes 3:7-12, Lk 21:5-19

 

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The following text guided the homily: 

  • During the month of November, the Church leads us in a meditation on the Last Things. This is helpful for Catholics in every stage and state of life, because we can often be tempted to defer pondering death, judgment, heaven and hell out of a lack of urgency, assuming that we have many years and even decades before the humanly inevitable. Today, however, the prophet Malachi describes that the day of the Lord will come suddenly, blazing like an oven scorching proud evil doers but rising like a sun of justice with healing rays on those who fear God’s name. In the Gospel, that long awaited Sun of Justice, Jesus himself, gives far more details about the end times. In apocalyptic language that we shouldn’t downplay, he describes how the temple of God will be attacked, how there will be imposters claiming to be speaking for God and asking us to follow them, how there will be wars, insurrections, earthquakes, famines, plagues, persecutions, hatred, betrayals by family members and friends, and how even some of us will be put to death. It’s a harrowing account demonstrating, essentially, that the foundations on which we’re often tempted to place our stability and security — from physical health, to food and drink, property, family, governments, religious edifices and practices — will be shaken and collapse. The only thing left will be the only true and secure foundation, the one on which we should be constructing our life now, God himself.
  • The immediate reaction of Jesus’ listeners was to ask, “Master, when will this happen?,” presumably so that they could be prepared. Jesus didn’t answer their question directly, because he wanted them to act on the information right away. If he had given a date weeks, decades, centuries or millennia later, the temptation would have been just to go on with life as normal. But Jesus had come to establish a totally new normal: a norm of faith, of vigilant waiting, of full-time Christian behavior. He wanted the day of the Lord to be a perpetual state, so that each day would be the Lord’s day, a day in which we could exclaim, like we do every Easter, “This is the day the Lord has made!” And the signs of the day of the Lord Jesus gave us help us to maintain this awareness, because they are in fact events we see in the newspaper almost every day: destruction, natural disasters, wars, famines, illness, betrayals, attacks on the Church, and the persecution and killing of Christians.
  • Instead, Jesus gave them and us three ways to respond to what he was saying.
  • The first was, “See that you not be deceived!” and described that many would come, supposedly in his name, trying to exploit the situation. “Do not follow them!,” Jesus tells us emphatically. In every age there are legions of false prophets and Jesus tells us to be on guard against them. They deceive us about God, ourselves, and what God expects of us. They proclaim a false Gospel, indeed a false religion and ideology, and want us to believe their lies and fall in line. So many of the “isms” of modern life broadcast through the media, taught in the classroom, propagated by governments in political campaigns and internationally are part of this false prophecy. Are we alert not to be deceived? Do we know the Gospel well enough to spot even the most subtle of them?
  • The second thing Jesus told us was that our sufferings “will lead to [our] giving testimony,” as we will be blessed with a “wisdom in speaking that all [our] adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.” God only permits evil so that he can draw from it greater good. He allows us to endure these difficulties to help us grow in faith and become better disciples and better apostles, more fervent followers of him and more passionate proclaimers of his salvation. The adversities we encounter for our faith shouldn’t separate us from the Lord, but move us to abandon ourselves even more to Him. When we’re brought to our knees by natural disasters or man-made hatred, it provides the opportunity for us to pray far more devoutly, to grow in faith, and to be proven like gold in a crucible. When we’re tested more severely, God comes to our aid to help us pass those tests, provided that we open ourselves up to his presence during trial and respond to him. And that type of faith is the greatest means to bring others to faith.
  • We’ve seen this since the earliest days of the Church. So many converted when they saw the way Christians suffered harassment, persecution, imprisonment, torture and even martyrdom with peace, serenity, joy and songs, how they forgave their enemies, how they prayed for their persecutors, how they freely laid down their lives in love for the One who freely laid down his life to save their own. We’ve seen it when Christians, having suffered natural disasters like their neighbors, have rushed unselfishly, in imitation of Christ the Good Samaritan, to help others before thinking of themselves. We’ve seen it in the way Christians have endured physical illnesses and become salt, light and leaven in hospitals and nursing homes to their fellow patients, doctors, nurses, orderlies and family members. We’ve seen it in the way that Christians, having been betrayed by their spouses, children, siblings or parents, have forgiven them, just as they have been forgiven by God. Suffering, betrayal and persecution can become pulpits in which we’re able to show in even greater relief than normal the presence of God and his power and consolation. They provide the chance for us to show that we Christians live, suffer and even die differently than others, because we know, as St. Paul wrote to the Romans, that neither persecution, famine or the sword, neither death nor life, nor anything in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 8:31-39). That type of witness can’t help but move people.
  • The third and final thing Jesus tells us is “by your perseverance you will secure your lives.” He means here perseverance in faith, hope and love, perseverance in trusting him, in placing our treasure in him, and in loving him and others. The great temptation when we’re experiencing suffering, hardships, or challenges, is to focus on ourselves, become discouraged and sometimes even give up. Jesus tells us not to quit, but to go on living our faith, knowing that with the Lord as our shepherd, even if we are walking, or crawling, through a dark valley, we still lack for nothing, because with him, we indeed still have it all (Ps 23). In telling us this, Jesus isn’t just stating, “Do what I say,” but rather “Follow me!” During his Passion, after all, he was seized, handed over to religious and civil leaders, betrayed by the apostles and disciples, hated by the scribes and Pharisees, mocked, scourged, crucified and put to death. There was an eclipse of the sun, an earthquake and the veil of the Holy of Holies in the Temple was ripped from top to bottom. 40 hours later, however, he rose from the dead, without a hair on his head being destroyed. He shows us what perseverance is. And he will give us all the help he knows we need not to lose hope, not to give up, but by his grace to keep faithfully fighting the good fight until the end.
  • So as we ponder the last things as well as try to make sense of and respond to the natural disasters, wars, pandemics, persecutions, betrayals, and sufferings present in our time, Christ is calling us not to be led astray but to follow him more fully. He wants us to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to give testimony of divine wisdom through words and deeds. He wants to strengthen us to persevere in living our faith with confidence in the midst of whatever chaos we may find ourselves.
  • The great temptation when we suffer is to assume a “victim” mentality — and when we see others’ suffering, to “distract” ourselves or become “resigned” to their plight. We need to confront these tendencies straight on. Today is the Jubilee of the Poor. It’s also the World Day of the Poor, an annual observance Pope Francis began in 2017, during the middle of this month of November in which we ponder the last things, so that we might all remember that Christ has told us that after we die, we will be judged — and our eternal destiny will hinge — on our charity, on whether we have cared for him in the hungry, thirsty, naked, stranger, ill, imprisoned or otherwise in need in our midst (Mt 25:31-46). It’s an opportunity for us and the whole Church to recommit ourselves to those who are suffering, who are experiencing the effects of famine, war, plague, persecution, hatred and betrayal and to do something about it. It’s a chance for us to get practical about what we’re doing to help the victims of war in Ukraine and the Middle East, of natural disasters in the Caribbean, of political or religious persecution in so many countries across the globe, of families broken by betrayal all around us, of hunger, homelessness and poverty, of being unwanted, unloved, and rejected in the forgotten corners of our city. This is an opportunity for us to bear witness to the love with which God fills us, to seize the chance to live the Gospel, and build a world that is better, more loving and more fraternal.
  • In his Message for today’s 9th observance of the World Day of the Poor, Pope Leo wrote within the context of the Jubilee of Hope about the hope we’re all supposed to receive from our brothers and sisters who are materially poor and about the charity that is meant to flow from our Christian hope and faith.
  • He said, first, about Christians who are poor that they “can be witnesses to a strong and steadfast hope, precisely because they embody it in the midst of uncertainty, poverty, instability and marginalization. They cannot rely on the security of power and possessions. …Their hope must necessarily be sought elsewhere. By recognizing that God is our first and only hope, we too pass from fleeting ‘hopes’ to a lasting ‘hope.’ Once we desire that God accompany us on the journey of life, material wealth becomes relativized, for we discover the real treasure that we need. The words that the Lord Jesus spoke to his disciples remain forceful and clear: ‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume and where thieves do not break in and steal’ (Mt6:19-20). … This is a rule of faith and the secret of hope: all this earth’s goods, material realities, worldly pleasures, economic prosperity, however important, cannot bring happiness to our hearts. … A saying of Saint Augustine comes to mind: ‘Let all your hope be in God: feel your need for him, and let him fill that need. Without him, whatever you possess will only make you all the more empty’ ( in Ps., 85:3).” These are lessons that faithful Christians who are poor teach us all. They are not deceived by the lure of riches and the love of mammon but testify with wisdom to a “greater possession” and by their perseverance in seeking first the kingdom of God and his holiness, not only show that their security is like an anchor cast into heaven but evangelize others to invest in what moths can’t eat, rust corrode or thieves rob.
  • Pope Leo also said that when we live by the virtue of hope, knowing that God is with us and in him we can do all things, that overflows into charity that improves not just individual lives but all of society. “Hope,” he wrote, “sustained by God’s love poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, turns human hearts into fertile soil where charity for the life of the world can blossom. The Church’s tradition has constantly insisted on the circular relationship between the three theological virtues of faith, hope and charity. Hope is born of faith, which nourishes and sustains it on the foundation of charity, the mother of all virtues. … Charity is not just a promise; it is a present reality to be embraced with joy and responsibility. Charity engages us and guides our decisions towards the common good. Conversely, those who lack charity not only lack faith and hope; they also rob their neighbors of hope.” He continued, “Each of us is called to offer new signs of hope that will bear witness to Christian charity, just as many saints have done over the centuries.” He wrote about these many saints in his recent encylical, Dilexi Te, co-authored with his predecessor Pope Francis. In his message for today, he described how “hospitals and schools …were … established to reach out to the most vulnerable and marginalized. … Today, signs of hope are increasingly found in care homes, communities for minors, centers for listening and acceptance, soup kitchens, homeless shelters and low-income schools. How many of these quiet signs of hope often go unnoticed and yet are so important. … The poor,” he finished, “are not a distraction for the Church, but our beloved brothers and sisters, for by their lives, their words and their wisdom, they put us in contact with the truth of the Gospel. The celebration of the World Day of the Poor is meant to remind our communities that the poor are at the heart of all our pastoral activity. This is true not only of the Church’s charitable work, but also of the message that she celebrates and proclaims. God took on their poverty in order to enrich us through their voices, their stories and their faces. Every form of poverty, without exception, calls us to experience the Gospel concretely and to offer effective signs of hope.” As Missionaries of Charity, you are indeed Missionaries of Hope, quasi-sacraments, efficacious signs of hope, and the more effectively you draw near to the poor in their various sorrows, you will discover in their resilience many reasons to help you grow in hope and in the God in whom we hope.
  • Mass is the daily opportunity we’re given to be filled with what we call the “blessed hope,” the coming of Savior Jesus Christ. That’s not just an eschatological expectation but a daily fulfillment as “Christ Jesus our Hope” (1 Tim 1:1) comes from heaven to this altar. This is the daily gift he bestows so that we may follow him and not be led astray, where we receive the divine strength to give testimony no matter what difficulties are around us, where we are helped day to day to persevere in faith until Christ, the Sun of Justice, comes to rule the earth and bring the just with him to the place where all the saints rejoice forever. Today on this World Day of the Poor within the Jubilee of Hope, no matter what we and the world are enduring, we pray the words with which we conclude the Te Deum and that Pope Francis chose to guide this Holy Year: ‘In you, O Lord, is our hope, and we shall never hope in vain.’”

    •  

    The readings for today’s Mass were: 

    Reading 1
    Mal 3:19-20a
    Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
    when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
    and the day that is coming will set them on fire,
    leaving them neither root nor branch,
    says the LORD of hosts.
    But for you who fear my name, there will arise
    the sun of justice with its healing rays.
    Responsorial Psalm
    Ps 98:5-6, 7-8, 9
    R. (cf. 9)  The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
    Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
    with the harp and melodious song.
    With trumpets and the sound of the horn
    sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
    R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
    Let the sea and what fills it resound,
    the world and those who dwell in it;
    let the rivers clap their hands,
    the mountains shout with them for joy.
    R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
    Before the LORD, for he comes,
    for he comes to rule the earth,
    he will rule the world with justice
    and the peoples with equity.
    R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
    Reading 2
    2 Thes 3:7-12
    Brothers and sisters:
    You know how one must imitate us.
    For we did not act in a disorderly way among you,
    nor did we eat food received free from anyone.
    On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day
    we worked, so as not to burden any of you.
    Not that we do not have the right.
    Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you,
    so that you might imitate us.
    In fact, when we were with you,
    we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work,
    neither should that one eat.
    We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a
    disorderly way,
    by not keeping busy but minding the business of others.
    Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly
    and to eat their own food.
    Alleluia
    Lk 21:28
    R. Alleluia, alleluia.
    Stand erect and raise your heads
    because your redemption is at hand.
    R. Alleluia, alleluia.
    Gospel
    Lk 21:5-19
    While some people were speaking about
    how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
    Jesus said, “All that you see here–
    the days will come when there will not be left
    a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”Then they asked him,
    “Teacher, when will this happen?
    And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?”
    He answered,
    “See that you not be deceived,
    for many will come in my name, saying,
    ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’
    Do not follow them!
    When you hear of wars and insurrections,
    do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
    but it will not immediately be the end.”
    Then he said to them,
    “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
    There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
    from place to place;
    and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”
    Before all this happens, however,
    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.”

    The post Persevering With Faith and Hope through Trials, 33rd Sunday (C), November 16, 2025 appeared first on Catholic Preaching.

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