Many rulers of this world would try to convince us that there is no God, and there is no need of praying, believing, and following His commandments. We live in a society that wants to push God aside. Keep your beliefs to yourself -- you may often hear. And it may happen that others will make fun of you, make fun of your religion, even of God. In some places of this world there is still persecution of Christians, and some are even being killed for their faith. So, in the Gospel today Jesus is warning us and His disciples that as He was rejected by this world, in the same way His followers will be rejected. And we have a choice, either choose this world and reject our God, or listen to Jesus’ words that we are called to something more than only this world. “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.”
