May 8, 2021
Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Readings for Today
Jésus dit à ses disciples : « Si le monde a de la haine contre vous, sachez qu’il en a eu d’abord contre moi. Si vous apparteniez au monde, le monde aimerait ce qui est à lui ; mais parce que vous n’appartenez pas au monde et que je vous ai choisis du milieu du monde, le monde a de la haine contre vous. » Jean 15:18–19
Voilà une pensée qui donne à réfléchir : « le monde vous hait ». C’est-à-dire, si vous êtes de ceux que notre Seigneur a tirés hors du monde. Dans ce cas, Jésus dit que le monde vous haïra.
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.
Ces tentations et ces pressions du monde sont bien réelles, et c’est pourquoi les paroles de Jésus sont libératrices. Elles nous libèrent des manipulations et des tromperies auxquelles nous serons confrontés lorsque nous vivrons notre foi ouvertement, au vu de tous. En agissant ainsi, nous serons haïs du monde. Mais le savoir nous donne la paix du cœur lorsque cela arrive.
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.
Mon Seigneur persécuté, tu as enduré la haine et les moqueries de tant de personnes qui s’étaient laissé submerger par les fausses valeurs du monde. Je te prie de me faire participer non seulement à ta vie d’amour et de miséricorde, mais aussi à ta force lorsque, moi aussi, j’endure la haine du monde. Je me remets entre tes mains et te prie de me tirer sans cesse hors du monde et de m’attirer près de toi. Jésus, j’ai confiance en toi.
Autres méditations sur l’Évangile
Méditations sur la Miséricorde divine
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Featured images above: Christ Mocked and Crowned with Thorns By Jan Miense Molenaer
