However, Do not be Frightened

Homily of Tuesday in the 34th Week of Ordinary Time, Year C.
Memorial of St Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin, Martyr.
Fr Emmanuel Aghidi C.S.Sp.
Texts: Daniel 2:31-45, Luke 21:5-11

Friends in Christ, today’s readings remind us of something we often forget: everything in this world is temporary. In the first reading, Daniel explains the king’s dream a giant statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay. It looks powerful, but a small stone breaks it apart. All those kingdoms disappear “like chaff,” but the stone becomes a great mountain that fills the earth.
That stone is God’s kingdom. It is not built by human hands. It does not collapse with time. It stands forever.
In the Gospel, Jesus gives a similar message. The disciples admire the beauty of the Temple, but Jesus tells them it will one day fall. He warns them of wars, earthquakes, and troubles, but He also says: “Do not be terrified.” Jesus says this because God’s kingdom does not shake when the world shakes. His truth, His love, His plan, these cannot be destroyed.
So what does this mean for us today? It means we must not build our lives on things that crumble: money, politics, popularity, power. These are the “statues” of our age shiny, impressive, but fragile. We must instead build on the stone Jesus Christ the only foundation that lasts. When life feels uncertain, When the news frightens us, When things around us are falling apart, Jesus says, “Do not be terrified.” Catherine of Alexandria was not terified even by death. She defended the faith in Alexandria until she was imprisoned by emperor Maxentius and eventually tortured and beheaded.
Brothers and sisters, like St Catherine, we are caled to persever to the end. May the Lord bless His words in our hearts, Amen.