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_{Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 18, 2007} 

          Father Anton Luli was a Jesuit priest.  He was arrested by the Communists just before Christmas in 1947.  He writes in his memoirs:  "On Christmas night they hung me up with a rope.  I could barely touch the ground with the tip of my toes.  After hanging there for hours, I felt my body slowly failing me.  The cold gradually crept upon my limbs and my heart was about to give in.  I gave a desperate cry.  My torturers arrived, pulled me down, and kicked me all over.  That night I experienced the real meaning of the Cross.  But along with this suffering I also had within me the comforting presence of the Lord Jesus.  At times his support was something I can only call extraordinary so great was the joy and comfort that Jesus communicated to me."

          What Father Luli did not foresee on that terrifying Christmas night was that he was destined to spend the next 40 years in prison.  17 of them would be in solitary confinement.  He ended his memoirs, saying:  "They released me in the 1989 amnesty.  I was 79 years old.  I have never felt resentment for those who, humanly speaking, robbed me of my life.  After my release, I happened to meet one of my torturers on the street.  I took pity on him and embraced him.  There are thousands of priests who have been persecuted in their lives because of Christ, but no one can wrench from our hearts our love for Jesus."

          Father Luli's incredible story brings us to today’s Gospel reading.  In it, Jesus talks about the destruction of the Temple and about the end of the world.  When his disciples asked him when these events will take place, Jesus gave them three signs to look for.

          First, false prophets will begin to appear.  Jesus says, "Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say…The time has come! But don't follow them." (Lk 21:8)  Second, terrifying things will take place both on earth and in the skies.  Third, and finally, Jesus says, "Before all these things take place you will be persecuted, put in prison, and brought before kings and rulers for my sake.  This will be your chance to tell the Good News.  Stand firm through all these things and you will save yourselves." (Lk 21:12-13, 19)

          And that brings us back to Father Luli's story.  He experienced trials, persecution, and imprisonment for Jesus' sake.  And he used these things as a chance to tell the Good News.  Like Jesus, he forgave those who persecuted him.  And like Jesus, he stood firm to the end.  As a result, his story encourages us and inspires us to respond to our trials and our sufferings as he did to his.

          To be sure, we may not be around for the trials and suffering that will foretell the end of the world.  But this much is absolutely sure:  All of us will undergo trials and suffering at some time in our lives.   

          This is where Father Luli's story fits in with today's readings.  It assures us that if we accept our trials and sufferings, they can turn into great blessings for us, as they did for him.  For example, as a result of his trials and suffering, Father Luli experienced God’s presence and help as he had never experienced them before…nor as few people ever have.

          That leads us to an important point.  Every trial and suffering ends up making us either bitter or better, depending on how we look at life and accept it.  Is our glass half-empty or half-full?  Is today partly cloudy or partly sunny?  Do we count our blessings or our problems?

          Today's readings assure us that if we pray and stand firm in time of trial and suffering, as Father Luli did, we will end up victorious as he did.  This is the good news contained in the readings…the good news that we celebrate in this liturgy…the good news that Jesus wants us to take home today!