Jesus said, “Blessed are you when you are hated and persecuted. Wherever you have been persecuted they will find no place.”
There are two paths for the soul to travel, but one consciousness-force. There is the path of unenlightened society, and there is the path of the holy ones, which is the complete opposite of that of society and conventional wisdom. Both paths are a manifestation of the same mind or consciousness-force; the consciousness that is enlightened and the consciousness that is unenlightened is the same consciousness-being. It is simply a question of Divine illumination or the lack of it.
So we understand that the Way of Spirit is not the way of the world. It stands to reason that anyone who walks in the Way of the Spirit and seeks a conscious unity with God will find that they naturally meet with gross and subtle opposition from their society and worldly minded people around them; in one form or another, they will find themselves persecuted. Now in the past, such persecution very often led to physical abuse and even murder at the hands of the powers that be or the ignorant multitude. Today physical abuse or death is far less likely, but rather such things as slander and verbal abuse, being ignored or shunned, considered a “cult leader” or “cult follower,” or some crazy fanatic, are all common forms of persecution that the disciples and apostles of the Light-transmission may well encounter. This can come from strangers or friends or family, all the same. Likewise, nothing around oneself in society will in any way encourage you to follow in the Way of the Spirit or to engage in spiritual practice and spiritual living, but rather everything will encourage you into a state of worldly mindedness and distraction from the path to enlightenment. Persecution may even come from those claiming to be religious persons or religious authorities who serve the static state of conventional wisdom over and above the Wisdom of God. Nevertheless, persecution, whether obvious or not so obvious, will at some point be met with, even by the most discrete among the faithful and elect. If one walks fully in the way of the Holy Spirit, it will be very obvious. It has been so with the prophets and apostles of God who sojourned the path and served the Lord before you, and it will be so with you, if indeed you take up the mantle of the messengers and apostles of God.
Not only will opposition come from ignorant and worldly minded individuals, but also from the cosmic forces of ignorance. If a prisoner or hostage attempts to escape their capture, will not the captors stop at nothing to prevent escape, and if they cannot prevent escape, even seek the hostage’s life? So it is with the cosmic forces of ignorance, or as St. Paul calls them, “the spiritual forces of wickedness established in heavenly places.” They will also persecute and attempt to discourage and hinder the mystical aspirant for the enlightenment experience so that the soul might remain in bondage to the ruler of the world, the enemy.
The fact is that, meeting with such opposition, you can be assured you are on the right path. Walking in the way of the world, nothing will oppose or contradict you, but the world will agree with you, yet the world will not agree with you if you follow in the Way of Spirit. As a matter of fact, under certain conditions, the opposition might prove quite violent, even in these modern, “civilized times.”
Now this is not spoken to discourage you from the path, nor does it suggest that anyone among the faithful and elect should go out looking for trouble or invoking trouble upon themselves. Rather, it is spoken for the sake of understanding the persecution or opposition one will quite naturally encounter, and to empower us to endure and overcome it. It is actually a teaching on how to face persecution or opposition one may come across and to realize, within it, a blessing of the Lord.
Yes, indeed, whatever persecution or opposition you might encounter is a blessing upon your soul if you maintain your faith and endure it, for your faith will naturally grow stronger and your soul gain refinement in the process. On a psychic and spiritual level, you will grow and be stronger in the long run. You might ask how this is so? Bear in mind that resistance and opposition is necessary for the process of development and evolution. Without it, evolution cannot occur, or occurring, whatever might emerge would be inherently weak and imperfect in nature, unable to thrive on its own. Opposition ensures and cultivates the strength and quality of everything that emerges in evolution. This is truth, whether we are speaking of biological or spiritual evolution. Thus, whatever persecution or opposition one might encounter, the disciple is to realize as a blessing and meet it in this way, receiving the hidden blessing that it brings.
Persecution may come for many reasons, not only on account of our faith and spiritual practice. Nevertheless, we are to respond to it the same and seek to draw out the hidden blessing in whatever situation of oppression we might encounter. Always, we are to seek our refuge and strength in the Lord and let the Holy Spirit guide our response. Some situations may call for an active and dynamic response, while others may call for a passive response. It is the Spirit of Christ that indwells us that will know what is best for all who are involved. Hence, we must put our trust in the Lord and turn to the Lord in the face of any trial or tribulation we might meet. I pray that always you might rejoice in the Lord, in good times and bad times, knowing the whole of life as the blessing of the Lord and receiving every blessing that the Lord sends you. Amen.