Jesus warns that His followers will face persecution for their beliefs. As His followers, as Catholic Christians, we know that the life of faith isn’t an easy one; yet we are called to persevere in it till the end, in spite of many opposing forces that would thwart us on our way to Heaven. St. Luke, in his Gospel, writes that even in the midst of persecution and trial, we are to persevere in faith, since perseverance in the face of persecution will lead to our salvation. It is also in the midst of this great hostility that we are to give witness to the Gospel, even to the point of death. This is what we are called to in the midst of persecution - though not all would be executed, martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith; it means bearing witness even unto death. The martyr bears witness to Christ, who died and rose. He bears witness to the truth of the faith and of Christian doctrine. Here, Jesus is assuring His followers that God is present to all believers, even in times of trouble. Let us, then, persevere and trust in His words, in spite of the hostility against us.