By Jeffrey A. Beer Jr. –
In this Sunday’s reading from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus talks about the apocalypse- the second coming of Christ. But he also speaks about how the world will be before the end of the world, and he makes one thing very clear- it will not always be easy to be a Christian. As Catholics, we tend to believe that if practicing our faith isn’t fun, easy, exciting, or interesting, or doesn’t give us a warm feeling in our belly then we’re not doing it right. But in the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus doesn’t say, “following me will make your life carefree and easy.” He says, “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.” We don’t typically like to dwell on Jesus’ prophesy that being a Christian will mean certain persecutions. But lucky for us, in this Gospel Jesus also gives us the proper reaction to such persecution. He says, “It will lead to your giving testimony.” So following Christ will cause us to be persecuted, but that persecution should lead us to testify to our persecutors that we believe in Jesus. That testimony might come through our words or our actions.
But perhaps you don’t feel like you’ve been persecuted. Does that mean you are not being a good Christian? I think not. The persecutions of being a Christian can come both explicitly and in much more subtle ways. It can come from the proverbial bully or anti-Christian, but it can also come from our fellow Catholics and even our close friends and family members. Christ warns us “You will even be handed over by your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends and they will put some of you to death.” For most of us, hopefully this doesn’t mean actual corporal death. But it can mean death to our faith, self-esteem, character or integrity. Certainly, when we are mistreated by a family member, or pressured by a friend to do something we know we shouldn’t, that takes a toll on us. And these persecutions especially seem to come when we are trying our hardest to do the right thing.
It is important to understand that following Christ is not a feel-good, care free life. Christ tells us “You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.” So when persecutions come whether they be being called a name, being tested in our morals, or being taken advantage of, we should not be surprised or discouraged. Faith is not all about good feelings.
I learned this lesson is a simple but special way this past summer. It has been more than a decade since I’ve missed a Sunday mass. And I often times go to mass during the week because I always feel so uplifted and centered by the Holy Eucharist. I like mass. I have for a long time. But towards the end of the summer, I started having a hard time getting myself to go to mass during the week, much less on Sunday. I wasn’t looking forward to mass at all, and while I was sitting in the pew I felt distracted and bored. I am sure you’ve felt like this from time to time. But I believed in the benefits, both spiritually and mentally of going to mass. So even though I wasn’t “feeling it” I went, again and again and again. I started putting extra effort into getting to mass early, preparing myself for the mass, and participating fully in the hymns, readings and responses. And little by little, my interest and love of the mass returned. But it wasn’t always there. I had to persevere, and I’m so glad I did. Whether it be doing the right thing when we’re hanging out with our friends, or making it to mass on Sunday, being a Christian isn’t always easy. As a matter of fact, sometimes it’s really hard. But I don’t think it is by accident that this Sunday’s Gospel ends with Christ encouraging us by saying “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”