Jesus died for us so that we might have eternal life with Him in Heaven. God welcomes all people, big, small, young, old, non-believers, and believers, to choose to follow Him, so that they might share in the salvation that Jesus won for us when He died on the cross. God calls us all to prayer and a life of good; we can repay Him and show Him we love Him by embracing our religion. Sometimes this can be difficult, especially for teenagers, as the First Letter of St. Peter illustrates. Some teens go to school with others who share their religion, and other teens, like me, go to a public school where there are so many different religions represented. Sometimes, we might feel like we don’t fit in because of our religion, or are worried about what other people might think, since it seems like there are few other people who share our beliefs. God calls us to only focus on our beliefs and relationship with Him, and not worry about what other people think about our beliefs. Jesus suffered for us on the cross because He loved us. We now can show God how much we love Him, so why be afraid of what someone thinks if they see you say a little prayer before lunch, or wear a cross necklace to school?
God tells us through this reading that if we are persecuted or insulted for our beliefs but don’t let it change our outlook, we will be blessed by Him and receive the Holy Spirit and God’s glory. He urges us to ignore the people who make fun of us or question us for our beliefs and hold steadfast faith in Him and continue to praise Him, for He will not abandon us in our times of need and will notice that we are making an extra special effort to not let those people get us down. He will be proud of us, if we take these hardships and offer them up to Him, making a sacrifice of them in His name to glorify Jesus and what He did with our sins on the cross. So next time you feel insecure or vulnerable for religious reasons, say a little prayer to God and ask him to make you stronger, so you can do your best to serve Him and spread His word like He wants us to as His children.