Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter

A wild strawberry

R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
Sing to the Lord a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.

In today’s gospel the Lord warns his disciples about the coming persecutions:
…in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you
will think he is offering worship to God.
That sounds pretty grim and yet the tenor of this season is not grim. We read the Acts of the Apostles throughout the Easter Season and the dominant themes are the joy and freedom and courage of Jesus’ men and women. They cannot be silenced, repressed or terrified by Jews or gentiles, by civil authorities or lawless mobs.
There is nothing new about persecutions and ostracism. So long as there are different nationalities, religions and languages people will torment one another along those arbitrary lines. And where there are no lines they’ll create them!
The persecution of Christians will be different because, as we see in scripture, it only encourages us to greater joy and greater freedom:
…when they had called in the apostles, they had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. As they left the council, (the disciples) rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.  (Acts 5:40-42)
This is a baffling phenomenon and skeptics might well doubt it if twenty centuries of martyrdom had not given witness to it. How is it that people who are abused and mistreated come out of the experience freer, happier and more committed to their course of action?
This is certainly not the common experience of victims of violent marriages or incestuous families. Nor is it the story of oppressed minorities.
Rather, it is a sign of the Holy Spirit which fell upon Jesus and guided him from the Jordan River to Calvary. It testifies to the Spirit which accompanied Mary from Galilee to Bethlehem to Egypt and Nazareth – and finally to Calvary.
It begins with the realization of strength within oneself. “They can hurt my body but they cannot touch my spirit, for the Lord is with me.” There is an assurance that, though I am alone before my enemies, I am not alone for the Lord and his saints move in me.
And, “It’s not about me. Whatever they think or say about me has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the Lord.”
As a priest I can ponder these things fully aware of my own shortcomings. In fact when confronted I usually get my hackles up and confront right back. Meek I am not. Nor do I suppose that I would rise to the occasion if I were challenged to surrender my faith or die. But I hope with a spiritual hope that the Spirit of God would be there to suppress my violent instincts and advise patience:
When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Mark 13:11
My daily prayer is not for persecution. In fact it’s quite the contrary. I pray, “Lead us not into the temptation (or the trial) but deliver us from evil.”
And my daily prayer is also, “Lord what do you want of me today?” if I make a habit of that, I am sure of the Holy Spirit’s guiding hand through every difficulty.