Jesus today foretells experiences and happenings which will be seen realised in the Acts of the Apostles, not to mention in the subsequent history of the Church. Jesus speaks of abuse and persecution, of being dragged before civil and religious courts and "all because of my name". The charges may be civil or criminal but the real reason will be that they are followers of Christ. It is a strange paradox that Jesus' message of love, non-violence and peace can generate so much hatred, anger and violence. But we are not to fear or be anxious. When the time comes, we will know what to do and what to say. This is a promise that has been vindicated again and again. The sad thing is that those betraying Christians to the authorities will often be members of their own household - "parents, brothers, relatives and 'friends'." Again, this is a sad fact.

Let us pray that we may have the courage to be true to our Christian values whatever the cost. Let us not be surprised that our faith and our religion can create such anger and such hostility. At the same time, we reach out continually in truth and love to dissipate the unjustified fears that our beliefs can engender in others. We are a threat to false values but we must try hard to help people to see where real truth and goodness lie. And we do that by seeking for that in our own lives.