The coming persecution

JESUS said to the crowd: “They will seize 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. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. 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.” REFLECTION IT WILL LEAD TO YOUR GIVING TESTIMONY. While wars, famines, and scary cosmic signs may accompany the day of the Lord, Jesus clarifies that before all this happens, his followers will have to give witness to their faith. They will undergo persecutions and face threats to their lives even from their own families and relatives. Thus, he encourages them (and us) to be ready to testify. He also promises to give them the wisdom and the words to counter their enemies. By patient endurance, Jesus assures them, they will gain their lives.

Indeed, as followers of Christ who wait and even pray for his return, we are urged to be vigilant, but also to be hopeful and courageous, because his return will mean for us not destruction but salvation.

Are we ready any time the Lord comes back?