Ye Shall Be Hated

Tuesday. [Heb. 4:1-13; Luke 21:12-19] And ye shall be hated of all men for My name’s sake. He who breathes even a little of the spirit of the world into himself becomes cold to Christianity and its demands. This indifference turns into dislike when one remains in it a long time without coming to one’s senses, and especially after picking up some?where a particle of some false teaching. The spirit of the world with its false teachings is a spirit of disliking Christ: it is of the anti?christ. It is the spread of hostile atti?tudes toward the Christian confes?sion and Christian traditions. Ap?parently something like this is hap?pening around us. So far only hol?low roars are sounding everywhere; but it will not be surprising if soon the Lord’s prophesy will begin, that, they shall lay their hands on you… and persecute you… ye shall be be?trayed… and cause you to be put to death. The spirit of antichrist is al?ways the same; what was in the be?ginning will be now, perhaps in an?other form, but with the same meaning. What should we do? In your patience possess ye your souls. Be patient, with a firm word of con?fession of the truth in your mouth and in your heart.

Saint Theophan the Recluse