Daily Gospel Reflection

The Persecution Test

Welcome back to Radical and Relevant, where each day we try to set up our day by reflecting on the gospel. Today's reading is from Luke 21:12-19. "But before all this, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. This will be a time for you to bear testimony. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends and some of you, they were put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair on your head will perish. By your endurance, you will gain your lives." What jumps out at you today? The phrase that jumps out at me is, "You'll be hated by all for my name's sake, but not a hair on your head will perish." Sometimes people don't like us, right? But it's got nothing to do with Jesus. There's a lot of people who don't like me. It's probably some people who hate me, I don't know. But it's got nothing to do with Jesus. It's not because I'm such a great witness to Jesus that they don't like me. It's because of me. It's because of my rough edges. It's because of my personality, my character, or my lack of character.

And sometimes, we can think we're persecuted, but it's got nothing to do with Jesus. It's got to do with how we're living our lives or misliving our lives. And I think it's really important to make the distinction between like, when are we disliked just because of how we're behaving, we're living our lives? And when are we disliked because we are so fully committed to the life and teachings of Jesus? Living that and sharing that, that people who have a dark agenda really hate that. I think it's really important to separate those two types of persecution. They're both persecution. But one is of our undoing and one very much is in unity with Jesus. So as you go about your day-to-day, think about that. People don't like you, people putting you down, people criticizing you. Is it because your character or is it because your lack of character? Have an amazing day. Remember, don't just be yourself. Be the very best version of yourself, all that God created you to be.