Verse of the day: Matthew 5:11-12
"“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Some wounds leave no visible mark. A cruel remark, a distorted story, or the quiet withdrawal of friendship can make us feel exposed and alone. Jesus does not dismiss these injuries. He names them: insult, persecution, false accusation. Then he speaks a word we might least expect: “Blessed.” This is not a claim that cruelty is good. Nor is it permission to treat every disagreement as persecution. Jesus describes hostility suffered “because of me”—the cost of faithfulness to his person and way. His blessing does not make the wound imaginary; it assures us that the wound does not have the final word. In the imagined illuminated manuscript, the accusing crowd occupies the lower portion of the page. Dark scrolls curl from their h...