As a witness before them and the pagans

At 6,8-10.12; 7,54-60; Ps 30,3.6-8a.17.21ab; Mt 10,17-22.
26 DECEMBER

Jesus is the only honest, true, sincere, free, pure, chaste, holy person in words, intentions, works, promises and prophecies. This is all because He has no need of others to be. His being is eternally from the Father. He came to give being, life and light to every man. He came to offer eternal life to every man. However, his offer is conditioned. Who wants to be saved today and for the blessed eternity, must accept his Word, let himself be renewed by his grace, become true in his truth, live among men as the light of the world and salt of the earth, observing his Law just as it was proclaimed and promulgated on the Mount. For this he has to come out of the realm of darkness and walk into the realm of light, abandon the wide path that leads to perdition and take the narrow path that leads to salvation. This not for a day, but for every day of his stay on earth. Then one enters into eternity if all these conditions have been observed. If they have been ignored, the doors of perdition are opened wide.

Where do problems arise? They are essentially two. The first is that of perseverance in the truth. We know that Satan does not let his prisoners escape from his prisons, then from these he leads them directly into hell. That is why he assails them with continual temptations to abandon the path of life and return to his prisons of sin, vice, darkness and death. If temptation is not enough, he moves on to persecution, violence, incarceration, judgment and death sentence. Unless you decide to abjure and return to his arms. Here is where the holiness of Jesus is revealed. He warns all those who want to go after Him. If He is the Crucifix, the Delivered, the Betrayed, the Condemned, the Insulted, the Tempted and the Rejected, let every one of his disciples know that he will have to go through this way. There are no other paths to reach the realm of eternal bliss. If these paths existed, his eternal honesty would have manifested them to us. He is the only one who calls disciples after himself, not for him, but out of love for other men to be saved, redeemed, clothed in eternal life, light, holiness and perfect justice. He is love that is given. He calls others so that they become in him, with him and for him, love to be given to their brothers.

But 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.

Persecution is for every disciple of Jesus. Even the court could be for every believer in Him. Jesus warns his disciples and gives them the command to leave a city if in that one he is persecuted and to take refuge in another. Escape from persecution is the first obedience. The Father does not want the testimony with death, but that one with the Word. You are jailed. Once again it is the Father who chooses the testimony that Christ Jesus needs. If death is necessary, the Holy Spirit puts the right words so that one goes to death. On the other hand, if the mission and the Word are still needed, the Holy Spirit puts the right words on the lips so that we may be freed and we can continue the work of evangelization. The disciples of Jesus must still know that persecution and death can come from any person, even from the father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, friends and enemies, people near and far. For this reason Jesus asks everyone for total prudence. His disciples are sent by him into the world as sheep in the midst of wolves. They will have to be as cautious as snakes and as simple as doves. The Christian must be moved by one truth. He gave his life to Christ the Lord. He can use it as he pleases.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints ensure that the Christian’s life is all at the service of the Kingdom.