Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”
*
Jesus is very clear with his disciples that following him will not be easy; on the contrary, they will meet opposition and persecution. This is what he, the Master, will experience. Yet, he promises them every help, especially that of the Holy Spirit who will be their spokesperson and advocate when they must face their persecutors.
It remains a mystery for us how God can allow evil to exist in the world when God can easily wipe it out. This world, then, becomes the battleground of the forces of good and evil. And we who align ourselves with the good, with God, have to be prepared to face resistance and attack from the opposite camp. We know how weak we are and easy to succumb to evil. Thus, we need the power of the Holy Spirit to resist and withstand evil. The blood of martyrs like Stephen and the “ordinary” witness of the saints give us encouragement and support.
Are we arming ourselves spiritually daily so as to resist evil in all its forms?
*
SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2020,” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
