Ave Maria Meditations
“You will be hated by all on account of Me. But whoever holds out till the end will escape death.” (Mt 10:22) The Lord has clearly revealed that we will be persecuted if we are trying to live the Christian life (see Mt 5:11). For us, being persecuted is not a possibility but a certainty. The Lord has sent us as sheep among wolves (Mt 10:16), and, no matter how clever and innocent we may be, we will be persecuted. We do not know whether we will be persecuted by religious groups, governments, our families, or all of the above (see Mt 10:17ff), but we will definitely be given the privilege of being persecuted if we faithfully follow Jesus.
Although persecution is certain, our faithfulness is uncertain. At the end of the world, the apostasy will become so bad (2 Thes 2:3) that we would all deny Christ if the Lord had not shortened the final days (Mk I 3:20). We do not know whether we will stand up to persecution or fold under the pressure. All we know is that, if we are living for the Lord with all our hearts right now, we are doing the best we can to strengthen ourselves for even the most difficult future. Live in utter abandonment to God’s will now. The future persecution will take care of itself (Mt 6:34). (from One Bread, One Body)
Jesus answering, said: Amen I say to you, there is no man who hath left house or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, Who shall not receive an hundred times as much, now in this time; houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions: and in the world to come life everlasting. (Mk 10: 29,30)
