Brother Emmanuel turns to scripture for solace . . .

“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.” Luke 6:22-23

It takes a lot of faith to “rejoice and leap for joy” after experiencing hatred and persecution from another. Even when one is persecuted on account of his/her faith in Christ, it takes a lot of faith and a lot of love to sincerely rejoice. But with that said, this level of faith and love is possible! If it were not, our Lord would not have given this teaching. It is a teaching to live the highest ideal. It’s a calling to live in Beatitude. Though it would be worth it to spend time on each and every one of the Beatitudes and to try to apply them to our lives, it’s also helpful to look at the more general fact that Jesus does not call us to mediocrity; rather, He calls us to the heights of perfection. It is within those heights that our souls find the greatest reward. Morning and have a blessed Sunday.