By Marc Massery
If you’re living the Gospel, chances are some of your greatest adversaries will be close friends and family, likely even fellow Christians.
Take St. Faustina, for example. Her family was so against her vocation that she had to run away to the convent in order to fulfill God’s will. Later, she suffered much at the hands of fellow religious sisters. She wrote:
For quite a long time I was regarded as one possessed by the evil spirit, and I was looked upon with pity [by the superior and other sisters] (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 123).
Though St. Faustina was trying to do the will of God as best she could, only a few people in her life saw her as she really was. Many of her fellow sisters dismissed her as a fantasist and even questioned her serious illness (which ultimately led to her early death). But St. Faustina wasn't the only holy person who faced opposition from those close to her. Even some of Jesus’ family members accused Him of being out of His mind. The Gospel of Mark says:
Again [the] crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” (Mk 3:20-21)
Christ's greatest adversaries, though, were the religious establishment. The chief priests and elders dismissed Christ, much like St. Faustina’s fellow religious sisters dismissed her. Why is this so?
Saint Paul said, “Our struggle is not with flesh and blood … but against the powers of this dark world” (Eph 6:12). In other words, as long as we live on this earth, we will face adversity. Now, other people aren’t our enemies. Satan is, and he often tries to lead others into bringing us down. What better way to attack us than through fellow Christians and those closest to us? So if family, friends, or fellow Christians give you a hard time, know that you are in good company. Just try your best to treat them as Jesus would.
Photo by Hidde Rensink on Unsplash
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