No 'Soft' Christianity! | '3 Minute' Reflections

Описание: Sometimes I think we have soften Christianity. We are so easily effected by what people say and do and situations around us. Take a look of how Jesus Challenged the first Christian Community.
| No Soft Christianity


Hi! I'm Fr Gerard Rodricks sj (Bombay Jesuit)
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gerard sj

TRANSCRIPT
Sometimes, friends, I think we are living a very soft Christianity. We are so easily affected by what people say. We are so easily taken up by situations which we find challenging. In these moments, I think we must read Matthew Chapter 10. Jesus has just called together His disciples, and here He gives them Christianity to the full. He doesn't water down Christianity. He gives them the whole Gospel. My dear friends, whenever you are in a difficult situation, read Matthew Chapter 10. It will challenge you to live Christianity. Today I will take a few verses from this chapter.
Beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for My sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles.
Persecution and difficulties are part of the Christian life. Here Jesus tells us we'll be taken before kings and governors. But if you think that is bad, take a look ahead. They will flog you in the synagogues. So not just before governors and kings and political powers, but in religious houses you'll be flogged. So even in the houses where you think you will find God, there you're being flogged. And if you think that is enough, there's more. Brother will deliver up brother to death, and father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. Even in your own home you'll find difficulty. Live the Christian life. You'll be persecuted and even put to death. That's what Jesus says, and that is all. Take a look ahead: you will be hated by all.
So everyone will hate you. Can you believe that? And what is the reason why they will hate you? Not because of something you have done. You will be hated by all for My name’s sake. So not because you have done something wrong, simply because you are living the full Gospel message. You're living Christianity to the full. Even here, my dear friend, Jesus says: don't stop. When everyone is persecuted, you are hated by all, what do you do? Carry on.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. Nothing can stop you. You go from town to town. In other words, you don't give up. You persevere right to the end. So then, what are the qualities of a Christian? First, Jesus says: perseverance. He who endures to the end will be saved.
The second quality: no anxiety. You'll be at complete peace even in the midst of persecution. When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say. Why? Our Christian life is not us living, but the Spirit of God living within us. We are powered, driven by the Holy Spirit. For what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
And what is the secret of our Christian lives? Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. What does it mean? If we are sheep, we have the Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, and He is with us, leading us on. And may Almighty God bless you: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Have a wonderful day with Jesus.



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