Summary: Jesus told his followers that the world would hate them as it hated him. They would face rejection and suffering because they belonged to him and followed the one who sent him.
Gospel Acclamation: Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:10)
Jesus said to his disciples: “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.
Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.”
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