Gospel for December 26th

Gospel
Mt 10:17-22

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Beware of men, 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.”

Comments:
Jesus is speaking to his disciples about the persecution that will come when they follow him. These promises came true in their lives and they will come to our lives as well if we closely follow Jesus.

There is no way to avoid suffering in this world. It is so great to be able to offer our sufferings to the building of the Kingdom of God instead of wasting our sufferings on our selves.

Some disciples of Christ will face persecution in the courts, some in religious institutions and some will face persecution among family members. When we face persecution we can trust in Jesus to speak through us in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus promises that his followers will be hated by all. I believe this means that always in every place there will be unbelievers who hate the message of Jesus Christ.

"He who endures to the end will be saved" is a message that is repeated over and over in the Holy scriptures. This promise is a warning that will always cause us to repent of our sins when we fall. This promise causes us to look back to Peter and see how he fell but Jesus was forgiving and welcomed him back in tears.