“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.”
John 15:18
Reflection
Jesus tells his disciples that if the world hates them, it is because he was hated first by the world. They do not belong to the world because Jesus has chosen them out of it, and so the world will hate them. The world will persecute them because they do not know the one who sent Jesus.
Christians are persecuted all over the world today, as they have been from the very beginning. Although not as much physical persecution occurs as before, attacks on Christian doctrine, morals, ways of living, etc. continually occur. Christ’s message of salvation is seen as countercultural and less than modern, often mocked.
Yet we should not be surprised by this, for Jesus told us this would happen. The world hates what it does not understand, and unfortunately, it does not understand Christianity and the beauty our faith has to offer everyone. The Holy Spirit can give us the courage and perseverance needed to uphold our Christian faith and values in a sinful world. Let us call upon our God for strength to spread his loving message to all.
Saint of the Day
St. John of Ávila: 1499 – 1569
| “I would rather live without skin than live without devotion to the Virgin Mary.” St. John of Ávila |
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