Tuesday of the Eighth Week of Ordinary Time
Pentecost is over, and now we are sent into the world to follow Jesus. What are we promised when we do so? When we give up everything to follow Jesus, we are promised “a hundred times more now in this present age” quite a few things: family, land, children, and all of this “with persecutions” (Mk. 10:30). The happy parts of that promise are usually emphasized, but we should never forget that Jesus promised us numerous persecutions in this life before we come to an eternal reward in the next.
What does it look like for us to follow Jesus even in the midst of persecutions? If our lives are bearing good fruits, then it will look like the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which include joy, peace, and patience. This is not how most people respond to suffering. But if we are consoled by the presence of God’s love, knowing that our friend Jesus is with us even as we suffer, we can experience this joy, as so many of the Christian martyrs did. Only the Holy Spirit can give us these fruits in the world. Pentecost may be over, but we need it more than ever.