there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.
But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first."
REFLECTION
What's in it for me? This seems to be the way most people think when given a task
What impels people to do something? Is it a reward that drives them to achieve something?
I am a teacher. The first thing a teacher finds out about his/her students is what incentives will work in helping them learn. Some ideas for encouraging the students to complete a task would be Lunch with the Teacher Pass, Lab Assistant in Science, or Teacher Helper for a Day.
When I went to school, there were no rewards for doing schoolwork. The reward was the satisfaction of finishing and doing your best.
The Apostles ask Jesus, "We have given up everything and followed you." Jesus answers them about all the things they will receive for following Him and spreading the Gospel. They will earn a hundred times more than what they had plus "persecutions and eternal life" in heaven. I wonder what the Apostles thought about "persecutions" as one of the rewards.
I think that Jesus is telling them that their reward here on earth will be in the satisfaction of bringing the Gospel to all people and lands. Persecution will only make the success of their mission more valuable because the biggest reward will be eternal life with Him.
Let us follow Jesus and continue the work of His disciples with the help of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray St. Augustine's prayer to the Holy Spirit.
Comments