Word to the Wise
Wednesday, November 27, 2024 - Wednesday in the 34th Week in Ordinary Time
[Rev 15:1-4 and Luke 21:12-19]"They will seize you and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony.....You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives. [Luke]
Although the overall context for these words is Jesus' last days in Jerusalem and preaching about the "last things" (including the destruction of Jerusalem), the evangelist Luke is describing what Christian missionaries were already undergoing when he composed this gospel! Perseverance in times of persecution will secure a place in Jesus' kingdom.
What Luke is describing is not just ancient history. We have modern examples everywhere, including Archbishop St. Oscar Romero in El Salvador or St. Stanley Rother in Guatemala, who were martyred. Christian activists everywhere have been imprisoned for speaking out against injustice and oppression by political and social authorities. Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, TX, has defied Texas authorities who wanted to shut down diocesan agencies helping migrants with simple needs to survive. Discipleship can mean tough going.
Christianity did not receive "legal" status until 313 A.D.! But "legalization" does not stop persecution. Freedom of religion in our own country seems to mean that there will be no problem as long as one keeps faith private or simply pious and not take too seriously what Jesus speaks of in Matthew 25:31-45 (the Last Judgment scene). The time of the Second Coming is unknown, but the persecution continues under many different forms. Steadfast perseverance remains the sign of discipleship. AMEN