👉🏾👉🏾👉🏾#Christians #Persecuted #For #Righteousness (#wereha #Tsige)
(Blessed are those who are persecuted for #righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, #Matthew 5:10)
(Part 7)
Beloved in Christ,Peace be with you. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:10). Christ Himself faced rejection and suffering, and His apostles were persecuted for proclaiming the truth. Through trials and hardships, we imitate Christ, strengthen our faith, and receive the reward He has promised.
Physical (Worldly) Migration
A person may leave his or her homeland and migrate to another place for many reasons during earthly life. Some of these causes are natural, others are man-made, and some arise from physical or worldly needs.
👉🏾 Natural causes include drought, famine, and natural disasters.
👉🏾 Man-made causes include war, conflict, and social unrest. Because of such problems, many people move from one country to another in search of safety and stability.
👉🏾 Worldly needs also lead to migration. People may travel to other lands seeking better education, employment, or living conditions.
However, migration caused by sin is different. A person may flee because of the sin he or she has committed. Yet our Lord’s teaching, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake” (Matthew 5:10), must not be confused with these earthly reasons for migration. A person can move anywhere on earth, but that does not mean the movement is blessed for righteousness.
✍🏾 There is also false persecution. Thieves, murderers, and wrongdoers may suffer imprisonment or punishment for their own sins. This is not persecution for righteousness, but the just result of evil actions. Our Lord clearly said, “Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,” it distinguishing between suffering for truth and suffering for wrong doing.
✍🏾 Therefore, the hardships we face because of our laziness, carelessness, or wrongdoing should not be mistaken for righteous suffering. If we go hungry because we refuse to work, if people avoid us because of our bad behavior, if we are accused or punished for false teaching, bias, or divisive acts these are consequences of our own deeds.
These earthly problems can be avoided by living responsibly, working honestly, and fulfilling our duties faithfully. Only those who endure persecution for truth and holiness are counted blessed before God.
Examples of Those Who Suffered for Righteousness
The Christian life is a path filled with trials, suffering, persecution, oppression, imprisonment, and even martyrdom. Saint Ephrem the Syrian, the great teacher of the Church, tells us, “The martyrs truly despised the taste of this world; they shed their blood for the sake of God and endured a bitter death for the sake of the kingdom of heaven” (Glory to Mary, Thursday). Indeed, countless martyrs turned away from the fleeting pleasures of this world, offering their very lives for the eternal glory of God’s kingdom.
✍🏾 When we read the Gospels and the accounts of the saints’ martyrdoms, we discover something remarkable: their earthly lives, though filled with suffering, were not lives of despair but of joy and spiritual happiness. Through trials, persecution, and even death, they attained eternal glory, becoming shining examples for all who follow Christ.
✍🏾 To guide our understanding, we may consider some key examples from both the Old and New Testaments, illustrating how the faithful, despite immense hardship, were exalted in righteousness and found favor with God.
1. Righteous Abel
The life of the righteous is often a life of suffering. Abel, meek and righteous, became the first martyr, slain not for his sins but for his faithfulness. As the Apostle Paul testifies, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and by his gifts he, being dead, still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4).
Continues 👇🏾