Biblical Text

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5.11-12, NRSV)

Reflection Video

For the video with the reflection on Matthew 5.11-12 click here

Questions

• Can you think of some civil law that is contrary to your discipleship? How have you responded to such laws? Does your response communicate that God has a say over all the earth or that there are areas in which he has no say?
• How have you interpreted this beatitude before? Having read the reflection, are there some things that have moved from being instances of persecution to being inconveniences? Have other things moved from being inconveniences to being occasions of persecution? How would you disagree with the reflection? What would you say is its blind spot?