The Holy Prophet Elisha (9th c. BC); Our Holy Father Methodius, Patriarch of Constantinople (847)
Apostles’ Fast. Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat.
Romans 8:2-13; Matthew 10:16-22.
Read Matthew 10:16-22
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
From a very young age, we seek the approval of others. As small children, we want to make friends who like us. Maybe we desire to be one of the “popular kids” at school. We want our parents, teachers, and coaches to affirm and encourage us. This desire for acceptance and to be liked continues throughout our lives. In fact, this is a normal part of development which helps us learn to be sociable. However, would you be willing to give up “being liked” for the sake of following Christ? Would you give up “being liked” for believing in the truth? To be a follower of Christ, we need to be prepared to “be hated by all for [His] name’s sake” (Mt. 10:22). We need to be willing to grow from desiring the approval of others to realizing that only the approval of God is what matters in life.
When Christ mentions the persecutions that His followers will endure from their communities and even their family members, He reassures us that we will not be left helpless: “But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you” (Mt. 10:19-20). God is interested and engaged in our lives; He cares deeply about us and what we experience. He loves us and desires our healing from whatever gets in the way of our ability to love or receive love. He will not abandon us when we face persecution.
Let us “endure to the end” every persecution for the sake of Christ so that we may be worthy to say, like St. Paul: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me” (2 Tim. 4:7-8).