Companion God!

Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Dan 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28; Lk 21:12-19

Today’s Gospel highlights the opportunities present within what we consider misfortunes. 

Jesus foretells the time of persecution for his followers. 

We need to be clear that it is not that Jesus’ disciples will suffer because of his name, but since his name is synonymous with Truth, those who cannot accept it will persecute them.

The assurance that Jesus brings further is far more strengthening than threatening. While Jesus warns his disciples of trials and tribulations, he promises to be with them. 

To translate Jesus’ words, we understand that in our pain, suffering, and trials, God will not be a detached observer but will walk with us as an anguished companion.

The fact that we are not alone in our misfortune is truly encouraging. The idea of a ‘Companion God’ suggests that for believers, misfortune is never the final word. God’s grace is. 

However, we need to overcome the temptation that God’s abiding presence with us and within us will cancel or take away our suffering. Instead, we understand that God’s solidarity will help us view suffering as a meaning-making process. It is at this point that we inherit the wisdom to give testimony to God. 

Jesus wants us to believe that ‘God Is With Us All The Time.’ Here, we may recall what Paul said: ‘If God is with us, who can be against us?’ (Rom 8:31).

Let us pray that we may courageously face life knowing that God is always on our side.

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar