May 8, 2021
Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Readings for Today
Jesús dijo a sus discípulos: «Si el mundo los odia, sepan que me odió a mí primero. Si pertenecieran al mundo, el mundo amaría lo suyo; pero como no pertenecen al mundo, y yo los he elegido de entre el mundo, por eso el mundo los odia». Juan 15:18–19
Este pensamiento nos invita a reflexionar seriamente: «el mundo los odia». Es decir, si estás entre aquellos a quienes nuestro Señor ha sacado fuera del mundo. En ese caso, Jesús dice que el mundo te odiará.
No one wants to be hated. No one wants to experience the wrath, persecution, attacks, or ridicule of another. Hatred is ugly, painful, and difficult to endure. But that is part of the nature of hate. It’s not only a form of persecution, it’s also a form of manipulation. Hate is an attack upon another by which the hater seeks to inflict injury and to manipulate them to change and conform to their will. The secular and unchristian “world” wants to win you over and away from God. Jesus offers this teaching, in part, to prepare us so that when we do experience hatred from the world, we will not be affected by it nor manipulated to turn from Him. Therefore, this teaching is a revelation of much mercy from our Lord.
Remember that Jesus spoke of three enemies of our soul. The flesh, the devil and the world. In this Gospel passage, to “belong to the world” means that a person allows themself to be negatively influenced by the countless lies embedded within the world. The secular media, pop-culture, biased opinions, social pressures, false images of happiness and the like seek to constantly misguide us and draw us in. We are regularly tempted to believe that fulfillment is found in money, our physical appearance, the recognition of our accomplishments, and much more. The world tells us that our opinions must conform to the secular values of the age—and if they don’t, then we are judgmental, close-minded, extremists, and should be shunned and “cancelled” or silenced.
Estas tentaciones y presiones mundanas son reales y, por eso, las palabras de Jesús son liberadoras. Nos liberan de las manipulaciones y los engaños que sufriremos cuando vivamos nuestra fe abiertamente, a la vista de todos. Cuando lo hagamos, el mundo nos odiará. Pero saberlo nos da paz en el corazón cuando eso sucede.
Reflect, today, upon these powerful and consoling words of Jesus. If you do not experience any form of hatred from the world, then this should be a concern and the cause for reflection. And if you do experience some form of hatred, know that our Lord prepared you for this and offers you His strength and courage to endure it with joy. In the end, all that matters is what our Lord thinks, and nothing else. In the end, if you experience hatred by the world in any form, know that this makes you more like Christ Himself.
Mi Señor perseguido, Tú soportaste el odio y las burlas de muchos que estaban sumidos en los falsos valores del mundo. Te pido que me concedas compartir no solo tu vida de amor y misericordia, sino también tu fortaleza en los momentos en que yo también soporte el odio del mundo. Me entrego a Ti y te pido que sigas sacándome del mundo y acercándome a Ti. Jesús, en Ti confío.
Reflexiones sobre la Divina Misericordia
Opciones de lecturas de la Misa
Featured images above: Christ Mocked and Crowned with Thorns By Jan Miense Molenaer
