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“Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I
myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your
adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.” Luke
21:14–15
This line is embedded in today’s Gospel in which Jesus makes it
clear that His followers will be persecuted. Many of them will be
seized, sent to prison, hated and even be put to death. For some,
this will even happen at the hands of their own family. But Jesus
tells them this to prepare them and to let them know that these
persecutions will enable them to give testimony to Jesus. The
Gospel passage above explains how they are to do this.
First of all, giving “testimony” especially means they are to be a
witness to Christ. And one of the best ways such a witness is
fulfilled is through the various forms of martyrdom. To be a martyr
is to be a witness. And those who suffer persecution for the sake
of Christ, and then respond to that persecution in accord with the
wisdom and inspiration of Jesus, are true martyrs. It’s helpful to
note that if one is persecuted and responds with anger or returns
the violence in accord with their own irrational will, then they
are no martyr. They simply become what they have received. They
become angry and bitter people. Being a martyr requires both unjust
treatment and a response to that mistreatment in accord with God’s
will. For that reason, though persecution is never initiated by
God, it does offer the Christian an opportunity to deeply conform
themself to Christ by responding as He dictates.
Jesus says that responding to persecution requires that we not
prepare a defense beforehand. In part, this is because there is
great temptation one experiences when persecuted by another. It is
very understandable that when a person experiences persecution in
any way, they will encounter anger and be tempted to fight back in
a way that is uncharitable and only furthers the disorder.
Responding to persecution in accord with the will of God requires
great attentiveness to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, great
humility, and unwavering charity directed at the one doing the
persecution. Therefore, Jesus makes the promise that He will be
with you in such situations and will give you “a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.”
What a grace! But this grace is only available to those who rely
completely upon Christ, and not upon their own disordered passions
and emotions.
Reflect, today, upon this promise from Jesus. Some will encounter
little persecution in their lives at various times. But others will
encounter severe persecution in various ways, even from their
family. Reflect upon any ways that you have experienced the unjust
treatment of another and then reflect upon your response. Were you
able to immediately forgive? Were you able to set aside your anger,
wounded pride and desire for revenge? Were you able to keep your
eyes on Christ and rejoice that you have been found worthy to share
in the ridicule, persecutions and sufferings that Jesus endured?
Pray that you will always be open to the grace of this promise of
Jesus so that you will always respond to everyone in accord with
the wisdom of God.
My persecuted Lord, though You were perfect in every way, You
endured much cruelty in Your earthly life. The injustice You
endured is beyond our comprehension. But Your response to such
persecution was perfect. You were able to transform all
ill-treatment into grace and mercy, offered especially for those
who mistreated You. Give me the grace I need to imitate Your
perfect response and to always rely upon Your wisdom and guidance
alone. Jesus, I trust in You.
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Featured image above: Christ and Pilate by an anonymous
disciple of Gerard David, via Wikimedia Commons
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