Mt 10:17-22
[Jesus said to his apostles,] 17“Beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, 18and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. 19When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. 20For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 22You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”
Reflection
Do not worry: The day after Christmas with its tidings of peace and goodwill, the Gospel and the liturgy speak of martyrdom. This reminds us that Jesus is born in a milieu not of peace but of conflict, violence, and discord. Conflict and persecution attend the disciples who share the destiny of their Master who is misunderstood and insulted (Mt 10:24-25).
But Jesus assures the disciples that when they are to render account of their faith, the least of their worries is being tongue-tied. The Spirit, the gift of the Risen Christ, will give them the words. The persecuted disciples share not only the lot of the Crucified but also the glory of the Risen One.
Jesus’ promise is actualized in Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Luke writes that Stephen’s enemies “could not withstand the wisdom and spirit with which he spoke.” And when about to be stoned, the Spirit gives him the vision of the reward that will be his—to be with the Risen Jesus now in the glory of God (Acts 6:10; 7:55-56, First Reading).