Homily for the 33rd
Sunday in Ordinary Time
Luke 21:5–19
(“By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”)
Today’s Gospel gives us words that can
shake us.
Jesus speaks of destruction, wars, earthquakes, persecution…
He tells His disciples that even the
beautiful Temple — the pride of Jerusalem — will be torn down stone by stone.
You can imagine their shock.
The Temple was everything to them — it
was their place of worship, their security, their proof that God was near.
And yet Jesus says: “Not one stone
will be left upon another.”
Why would He say that?
Because He wants them — and us — to
understand that faith cannot be built on things that crumble.
Even the most sacred building, the
strongest nation, the best of plans… can fall.
But the heart that trusts in God —
that endures.
1. Jesus isn’t
warning us to fear — He’s inviting us to trust.
Jesus is not trying to frighten His
followers; He’s preparing them for reality.
He’s saying: “Your faith can’t
depend on comfort, or calm, or control.”
Because those things change.
What matters most is perseverance —
the kind of faith that doesn’t give up when the world shakes.
The early Christians knew this.
They faced ridicule, rejection, even
death.
Yet they stood firm — not because they
were fearless, but because they knew Who walked with them.
Jesus promised:
“Not a hair on your head will be
destroyed.
By your perseverance, you will secure
your lives.”
2. A Story of Faith
in the Fire
Let me a simple story with you.
There was a young mother named Clare,
raising three kids in
poor city neighborhood.
Her husband had left, her job barely
covered the bills, and her oldest child started drifting into trouble.
She told her pastor, “I’m tired. I
feel like everything’s falling apart.”
And he said, “Then hold onto the one
thing that won’t fall apart — your faith.”
So every morning before work, she lit
a candle before a small image of the Sacred Heart and prayed,
“Lord, I can’t fix everything — but I
trust You’ll walk with me through it.”
Months later, when things finally
began to turn around — she said,
“It wasn’t the world that changed
first — it was my heart that stopped giving up.”
That, my friends, is perseverance.
That is faith that refuses to quit —
even when life gets messy.
3. So, What Does This
Means for Us Today
Every one of us here has our own
“Temple.”
For some, it’s our health.
For others, it’s our home, our work,
our sense of control, our plans for the kids, or our dreams for the future.
And when any of those start to fall
apart, it shakes us to the core.
But Jesus says, “Do not be
terrified.”
Because when the world around us
trembles — God hasn’t gone anywhere.
He’s right there in the middle of the
storm, waiting for us to look up and say,
“Jesus, I still trust You.”
He’s not calling us to fear what’s
coming —
He’s calling us to trust Who’s
coming.
4. So what does Perseverance
in Everyday Life looklike?
Now perseverance doesn’t mean never
being afraid.
It means showing up anyway.
It’s the father who still brings his
family to Mass, even when the
kids fidget and life feels heavy.
It’s the grandmother who keeps praying
her rosary every night,
even when her knees ache.
It’s the mother who cooks, cleans, and
loves even when exhausted.
It’s the young adult who stays
faithful in a world that tells them faith is old-fashioned.
That’s perseverance.
That’s the kind of quiet courage that
builds holiness.
And you know — in our small parish, we
see it every day.
We see it in the volunteers who clean and
decorate the church,
In those who joyfully serve as sacristans,
readers, altar servers, and extra ordinary Eucharistic ministers,
in parents who juggle jobs and still
teach their children to make
the Sign of the Cross and pray
together to God every night,
in those who carry hidden burdens but
still smile and say, “Thanks be to God.”
That’s the strength Jesus speaks of
today.
5. And then there is
The Hope of the Gospel
Jesus never promised His followers an
easy road.
He promised something better — His presence on the road.
He said, “I will be with you always.”
And when Jesus is with you, even the
hardest trial becomes a path to grace.
The same Lord who foretold the
Temple’s fall
is the same Lord who rose from the
tomb.
He brings life from loss, and glory
from suffering.
So when we look at the world — the
chaos, the violence, the uncertainty —
don’t let your heart be troubled.
Because the story doesn’t end with
destruction…
It ends with resurrection.
6. Closing: A Call
to Faith
My friends, as we gather here in this
little church —
as families, neighbors, and people of
faith —
let us ask the Holy Spirit to give us
that same holy perseverance.
To help us love when it’s hard,
to forgive when we’re tired,
to hope when we can’t see the outcome.
Because one day, when all the stones
of this world have fallen,
what will remain is the soul that stood firm in Christ.
And we will hear Him say,
“Well done, my good and faithful
servant…
by your perseverance, you have secured
your life.”
Amen.
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