St. Catherine of Alexandria, virgin & martyr 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Revelation 15:1-4

Then I saw another great and mar­velous sign in the heavens:

Seven angels brought seven plagues which are the last, for with these the wrath of God will end. There was a sea of crystal mingled with fire, and the conquerors of the beast, of its name and the mark of its name stood by it.

They had been given the celestial harps and they sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord, God and Master of the universe. Justice and truth guide your steps, O King of the nations.

 Lord, who will not give honor and glory to your Name? For you alone are holy.  All the nations will come and bow before you, for they have now seen your judgments.

 

Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 7-8, 9

Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord mighty God!

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Luke 21:12-19

Before all these things happen, people will lay their hands on you and persecute you; you will be delivered to the synagogues and put in prison, and for my sake you will be brought before kings and governors.

This will be your opportunity to bear witness. So keep this in mind: do not worry in advance about what to say, for I will give you words and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.

You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death. But even though, because of my name, you will be hated by everyone, not a hair of your head will perish. By your patient endurance you will save your souls.

 

Gospel Reflection：

Now we move to the third section of Jesus’ teachings here: Persecution of the Disciples (21:12-19). Even though Jesus hasn’t returned yet, we can expect persecution.

The word “persecute” is Greek dioko, “to harass someone, especially. Because of beliefs, persecute.” The root idea of the verb is “hasten, run, press on,” so that “persecute” may carry the idea of chasing someone.

“Synagogues” were places of local judgment by Jewish leaders. “Kings and governors” indicate that the disciples would also be judged before Gentile tribunals.