Gospel (Lk 21,12-19) - At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: «They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, handing you over to synagogues and prisons, dragging you before kings and governors, because of my name. You will then have the opportunity to bear witness. So make sure you don't prepare your defense first; I will give you word and wisdom, so that all your adversaries will not be able to resist or argue. You will even be betrayed by your parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will kill some of you; you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But not even a hair of your head will be lost. With your perseverance you will save your life."

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

Reading this page of the Gospel comes to mind what continues to happen even at the beginning of this 21st century: wars, genocides, incredible violence, hunger. And witnesses of the Gospel continue to be killed today. They seem like words written specifically for our today! The number of martyrs, of every Christian confession, but also of other religions, which occurred in the twentieth century was incredibly high. And even at the beginning of this new millennium, Christians who testify to their faith with courage continue to be violently killed. They stand before our eyes as very precious witnesses. And they entrust us with a legacy of faith to safeguard and imitate. Evil, with its terrible and cruel violence, believed it could defeat them, but with their sacrifice, with their blood, with their resistance to the evil one, they continue to help us defeat evil with love and loyalty to Gentleman. It is a message that does not fade with the passing of time: truly not a hair of their love story fades away. Their testimony pushes us to immerse ourselves, together with them, in this movement of love that saves us and the world. The Archbishop Msgr. Óscar Arnulfo Romero, in his homily before the corpse of a priest killed by death squads, said that the Lord asks all Christians to be martyrs, that is, to "give their lives". The Lord asks some, like that priest for whom the funeral was being celebrated, to give it until the blood is shed, but he asks everyone, however, to give it for the Gospel and for others. We receive life not to keep it for ourselves and for our things, but to offer it for the benefit of all and particularly for the poorest. The Lord accompanies us as he accompanied them and will support us with his strength.