Facing Adversity

This week I am featuring a set of brief devotionals to go along with the daily mass readings.

“But he passed through the midst of them and went away.” Luke 4:30

If we are living in God’s will, we are going to make people angry from time to time. In fact, persecution for your goodness is often a sign that you are doing something right. In today’s Gospel reading, it almost seems as if Jesus is trying to make the people upset with him. At first, they are praising him for his virtues. But he was not there to tell him what they wanted to hear. By the time he is done speaking, they are ready to throw him off a cliff. Are we willing to face adversity for telling the truth? And when it comes, how do we deal with it? Can we “make like a duck”, brush it off and continue on our way?

Prayer: “Lord, help me to face persecution for your sake.”

Painting by Carl Block, 1875