Sometimes we Christians can be a real thorn in the flesh. We know that we are loved by God, forgiven and justified. And we have a close and intimate relationship with our Saviour. We receive the sacraments, which strengthen our sense of security, as God’s grace builds upon our receptive nature. Sometimes we are not as self-reflective as we could be. We lose sight of the fact that all grace has
come from God, and we think that somehow we are responsible for our own salvation.
We sometimes expect all our friends and family to live according to the same set of values we cherish. We can become intolerant of their drinking, their colourful language, and their choice of relationships. We start telling them how to lead their lives: They would be so much happier if they modelled themselves on us. We deny them the space and the
freedom to make their own choices and mistakes in their lives.
There is a point where our missionary zeal can be counterproductive. We may think we’re only trying to help them, giving them the benefit of our superior insight, on the advantages of living a religious life. And we’re offended or surprised when they start to avoid us, persecute us, or tell us when they’ve had enough. We might even develop a martyr complex—feeling
that we’re being rejected unfairly—when it’s a perfectly normal dynamic in human relationships. The more they tell us they’re fed up with our criticism, the more we think they’re rejecting the Lord.
The last thing we need is an echo chamber to repeat and affirm everything we believe. This is when we need an equally serious Christian friend, whose opinion we will listen to, to tell us when to stop. The kind of persecution that
Jesus is referring to is happening in various parts of the world. Let us pray for these Christians, and not overspiritualise our own social ineptitude.
Whom am I irritating with my zeal for their souls? Am I praying enough for Christians who are persecuted in other parts of the world?
