MEDITATION TIPS (No. 278)
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 16, 2025

“By your perseverance you will secure your lives” (Luke 21:19)

　Jesus, nearing the end of his ministry and facing his Passion, foretells persecution and suffering for the disciples he leaves behind in this world. Yet he also promises protection and help. This warning of persecution and promise of protection from Jesus is also a word directed to us as we journey through life.

　There was a Danish writer of fairy tales named Hans Christian Andersen. He left behind over 150 famous fairy tales, including “The Little Mermaid,” “The Ugly Duckling,” and “The Little Match Girl,” profoundly influencing children worldwide. Reflecting on his work, he stated, “Most of my fairy tales are the reflection of myself; all the characters are born from my life.” He also remarked, “Every person’s life is a fairy tale written by the hand of God.”

　People love stories because they see their own lives reflected within them. Especially in simple tales like fairy stories, profound messages are often hidden. Our lives are one such story. Though filled with great trials and perplexing problems, when we look back, we realize these were all part of the story God prepared to lead us to salvation. And within that story lies a vital message from God for each and every one of us.

　When Andersen was a boy, trying to supplement his poor family’s food by gleaning fallen grains in someone else’s field, he was nearly whipped by the mean-spirited landowner. Though a gentle boy, he stood firm against the landowner and said, “Go ahead and try. God is watching.” The landlord, ashamed at considering whipping such a poor child, smiled instead and even gave him some pocket money. Through such experiences of poverty, Andersen came to say, “Tears are the world’s smallest seas.” These small seas connect to the great ocean, and eventually, even when people are in conflict, their hearts connect in the deep sea. That deep sea is the simple fairy tale.

　After foretelling various sufferings to His disciples, Jesus promised, “Not a hair of your head will perish” (21:18). That is, even amid all suffering, it will not amount to the loss of a single hair. This promise of Jesus is also directed to us. Even when facing various trials, we come to understand that all of life has meaning, that we are actually aided by those trials, and that what we thought were trials were ultimately no greater loss than a single hair. There is no one who has not been protected or helped by their own weaknesses.

　“Fear of death is the source of courage” (Thomas Mann, German writer). Jesus himself feared death, his disciples feared it, and we fear it too. This is not cowardice; rather, this feeling generates the courage to live. Thomas Mann faced persecution in his youth for criti-cizing Hitler, leading him to live a life of exile, moving from place to place. It was while confronting the fear of death and striving to live fully that he and his wife produced this famous saying.

　“By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

 　　　　　(Contributed by Father Yutaka Akabae)