Gospel: Matthew 10:16-23
When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my
name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in
one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of
Israel before the Son of Man comes.”
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Reflection:
There was a very corrupt high ranking government official who had a stirring turnabout in his life. From being corrupt he became saintly and from thereon he never engaged in any form of corruption. His saintly lifestyle eventually became his cross because he was maliciously persecuted by his former cohorts in his corruption activities.
Does it pay to leave our sinfulness for the sake of Jesus? Does it pay to leave behind friends who bring us nothing but sinfulness? Of course it pays! It may not be easy, we may be persecuted, scorned and even be harmed. However all of these dangers and earthly imbalances in our life are nothing compared to what Jesus will bring into our life.
We must always expect persecution the moment we decide to faithfully follow Jesus. We should expect to be looked down, expect insulting comments. Nonetheless; let these persecutions strengthen our resolve to follow Jesus.
Almost all of the apostles were severely persecuted for faithfully following Jesus. They were persecuted by this world yet God exalted them for their faithfulness to Jesus.
How about you which would you prefer the
immoral and corrupt enticements of this world or the initially difficult but
eventually rewarding path towards Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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