"If the world hates you...(Jn 15:18)

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We are now a third of the way through the 60 “utterances” of Divine Wisdom, which St. Louis de Montfort lists in Chap. 12 of his book, “The Love of Eternal Wisdom”. These are words we need to ponder because they come from Jesus if we are truly to follow Him, and live as God intended us to live :
    1. When you are fasting, do not imitate those gloomy hypocrites who go about looking worn out to show others they are fasting. I tell you solemnly, they have already received their reward. (Mt. 6:16).
    1. There will be greater rejoicing in heaven when one sinner is seen to be penitent than when ninety-nine just people show no repentance. (Lk. 15:7).
      17. I have not come to call the just, but to call sinners and draw them to repentance. (Lk. 5:32).
    1. Blessed are they who suffer persecution for the sake of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Mt. 5:10).
      19. Blessed are you when men hate you and reject you from their company because of the Son of man; rejoice, for your reward will be great in heaven. (Lk. 6:22).
      20. If the world hates you and persecutes you, recall that it hated me before you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own; but because I have chosen you, it will hate you. (Jn. 15:18).
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You may have noticed St. Louis chose Words from all four Gospels. This is significant because God chose those men to be witnesses. Luke was not one of the 12 Apostles but he sought those who did follow Jesus and were true witnesses, I suspect Mary was the one who told Luke of the Annunciation and the Finding of the Boy Jesus in the Temple. Mark was not one of the 12, but was the companion of St. Peter who shared Jesus’ words and deeds in his preaching as Mark listened and wrote them down.

God is the primary Author of Scripture but He chose men who would record His Truth in their own styles, with their unique gifts but inspired them to write only what God wanted written – no more and no less.

Come Holy Spirit, open the ears of our hearts to hear the complete Truth you were sent to bring us , and to live the Truth we hear. Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us.
 
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I am wondering about the real significance of the word "world " in this verse(context).
Cause sometimes (many times), I can feel in my spirit that hate (sometimes luck of /not perfect love) , but when examining the prosedence of, I tend to (in my own mind discard as not being from the world (for ex. Some church members, family , friends ).
And it causes so much pain , because then what it produces is feelings of condemnation instead.
Any thoughts? Thanks
 
‘[The saints] were strangers to the world, they were close and intimate friends of God. To themselves they seemed as nothing, and they were despised by the world, but in the eyes of God they were precious and beloved.’ - The Imitation of Christ
 
Dear Azaryahtt and Dan,

Thank you both for your replies. I’m not sure I completely understand Azaryahtt, exactly what you are experiencing, but I will share some thoughts with you. Yes, I believe we can feel that “hate” which comes against us from “that spirit in the world that opposes the Spirit of Christ.”

St. Louis de Montfort in his book on "True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin" explains how we need to “empty ourselves of the spirit of the world which opposes the Spirit of Christ”. I believe St. Louis in this book on “The Love of Eternal Wisdom” is reminding us of words Jesus spoke to His disciples the night before He died (Jn 15:18). His disciple John listened and wrote those words in His Gospel so that we could listen and hear what Jesus wants us to hear for our own lives.

Jesus knew the terrible suffering he was going to endure in His Passion, yet God so loved the world He sent Jesus to save us. God’s Incarnate Son Jesus, the Word made Flesh, died for love of us. He forgave His enemies and asked His Father to forgive them. John and the other disciples experienced fear that they would suffer from the hatred Jesus was suffering and all ran away - John came back to stand with Mary under the Cross.

We are called to love one another as Jesus loved us, and so John wrote those words for us, not to love that spirit of hatred which is opposed to Christ’s spirit of love. This calls for prayer and discernment on our part. We are not to trust every spirit, as John also wrote in his First Letter ( 1 Jn 4:1-6) but "to test the spirits to see if they belong to God. " You may be helped in reading the whole First Letter of John and especially chapter 4. We can be “worldly” so we need to pray to the Holy Spirit to help us discern our own hearts, first. We cannot serve two masters so we need to be sure we serve God in the spirit of Christ.

Hope that helps a bit. If not please write again. Thanks for your reply – it is important to seek God’s Truth in Scripture and the writings of the saints can help us for they listened to God’s Word and lived the Truth they heard.
 
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Dear Dan,

Thanks for the words from “The Imitation of Christ” – it is a classic that remains a treasure for all who ponder the words. I think we also need to remember that we are ALL called to holiness – our canonized saints are not the only ones who were “strangers to the world and close intimate friends of God”. God calls all of us into that union with Him in the perfection of Charity for which He created us.

As I mentioned in my reply to Azaryahtt, St. Louis de Montfort in his book, “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin” encourages us to “empty ourselves of the spirit of the world which is opposed to the Spirit of Christ”. He explains in his 33 Day Preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary, how important it is to ask the Holy Spirit for grace to gain true self-knowledge, to gain greater knowledge of Mary and finally to gain a greater knowledge of Christ.

How can we discern our own spirit or anyone else’s spirit if we do not ask God for Grace in order to receive, seek in order to find, and keep knocking on the door, for God to open for us? Our Father knows how to give good gifts to His children. (cf Mt 7: 7-11).

I think I heard or read Mother Angelica once say : “We are all called to be saints – don’t miss the opportunity”! 🙂 Thanks again for your reply. Please let us pray for one another, for the Church, and for all those in most need of His Mercy.
 
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Dear CajunJoy,

Thanks for your “heart” that lets us know you read and appreciated the Words Jesus spoke in the Gospels, and which St. Louis has included in Chap 12 of his book, “The Love of Eternal Wisdom”. Each of the quotes from the Gospels is important but perhaps I chose the last one for the title because it can help us draw closer to Jesus, if we ponder His words prayerfully.

Too often we do not realize why God permits certain situations in our lives, but when by God’s Grace, we are able to suffer as Jesus did, with love, we can grow in our likeness to Him. Please, let us pray for one another, for the Church, and for all those in most need of His Mercy.
 
Dear Bix,

Thanks for your “heart” which shows you read and appreciated Jesus’ Words – to which St. Louis de Montfort calls to our attention. Jesus spoke these words the night before He died, to prepare His disciples (and also to prepare us) to follow Him, taking up our cross as He carried His for Love of His Father and for us.
 
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