be torn down.” And they asked him, “Master, when will this be, and what will be the sign that
this is about to take place?”

Jesus said, “Take care not to be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am
he; the time is near at hand!’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and troubled
times, don’t be frightened; for all these things must happen first, even though the end is
not so soon.”

And Jesus said, “Nations will fight each other and kingdom will oppose kingdom. There
will be great earthquakes, famines and plagues; in many places strange and terrifying
signs from heaven will be seen. Before all these things happen, people will lay their hands
on you and persecute you; you will be delivered to the synagogues and put in prison,
and for my sake you will be brought before kings and governors. This will be your
opportunity to bear witness.

So keep this in mind: do not worry in advance about what to say, for I will give you
words and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.

You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends, and some
of you will be put to death. But even though, because of my name, you will be hated by
everyone, not a hair of your head will perish. By your patient endurance you will save
your souls. “By your patient endurance you will save your souls.”

Read:

Prophet Malachi predicts the day of judgement. Paul encourages everyone to work and
earn a living so as not to burden others. Jesus predicts the struggles of the end times
and the persecution of the faithful ones.

Reflect:

Jesus speaks about the troubled times the world will go through and how his followers
will suffer much persecution. For Christ’s sake, they will be hated by everyone and
betrayed even by their own families. Many might become martyrs. But he also assures
them that while they go through such sufferings, their hearts will be perfectly at rest,
thanks to his grace. The Spirit will provide them the words to speak and the power
to suffer. Their souls will have the grace to survive those moments in perfect fidelity
to God. Dostoevsky said once: “There is only one thing I dread: not to be worthy of my
sufferings.” This is one thing that we can use for our daily examination of conscience
: If and when such sufferings come, given the quality of my life today, will I be found
worthy of them, in the name of the Lord?

Pray:

“Lord, make me worthy of the sufferings for your sake, if and when they come my way.”

Act:

Read the life of a saint.

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