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Father Ed Broom quotes a brother Oblate priest: If we live the first seven Beatitudes, as a reward, we get the eighth Beatitude! “Blessed are those who are persecuted for my sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven!” If we are really living the Faith, then as we heard in the Parable today, there’s going to be persecution. We shouldn’t be surprised; we shouldn’t be taken off guard. Rather, we should be ready for it. Where does the persecution come from? Often it comes from within our families. Father Broom describes various ways that persecution may be expressed. We may be called to suffer in silence, but we may also be called to defend ourselves, for their sake! Father Broom suggests ways to defend ourselves calmly, using right reason. In the end he says, if you are persecuted for Christ’s sake, rejoice because your names are written in Heaven!