Be calm and carry on - II

Luke 21:12-19

Jesus said: Men will seize you and persecute you; they will hand you over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and bring you before kings and governors because of my name – and that will be your opportunity to bear witness. Keep this carefully in mind: you are not to prepare your defense, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your endurance will win you your lives.’

Food for thought

Jesus said and says: "Jesus said: Men will seize you and persecute you; they will hand you over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and bring you before kings and governors because of my name." And then he adds: "and that will be your opportunity to bear witness."
He is saying that when they seize us, when they persecute us, when they imprison us, when we are afflicted and suffering and in agony, we have an opportunity to bear a witness! It means that our odds are a blessing in disguise; our hard moments are an opportunity for something good.
Jesus adds, "Keep this carefully in mind: you are not to prepare your defense, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict." In other words, don't ever forget, when you are hard pressed, that Jesus is with you. Be attentive to what he will tell you to do; don't panic; as Jesus told us yesterday, be calm and carry on; be attentive for the guidance because Jesus himself "shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict."
So, our hard moment are not only for bearing witness; they are also moments of experiencing Jesus' presence and guidance and comfort. As St. Paul puts it in 2 Cor 12:9-10
And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Did you notice that anyone can cause our suffering? Did you notice that even our people, even those we consider to be our friends can cause us stress and agony and suffering? "You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends." In other words, all can suffer (including Jesus's disciples and followers) and all can make us suffer (including our dear ones).