Tues., Nov. 24: Dan 2:31-45; Luke 21:5-11

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! There is no question that we must make sacrifices to follow the Lord. Does what we surrender bring joy or grumbling? We’re often weak and fearful. We doubt our ability to emulate the Lord’s great sacrifice and, truthfully, most of us dread being called upon to do so. Andrew Dung-Lac, priest and martyr, and his companions paid dearly for following the one true God. Between 1820 and 1862, over 130,000 Christians suffered martyrdom in Vietnam. Later 117 martyrs were canonized and represented countless other unnamed individuals who followed the same agonizing path, in life and in death, of Jesus Christ, the king of the martyrs. They would not be deceived, even if it meant persecution and death. Truly our sacrifices are miniscule in comparison. Let’s hope, however, that our fervor to follow the Lord isn’t.

*Give us the strength, O God, to follow your will for our lives, we pray.