I have told you this so that when they do expel you from the synagogues even as they will be persecuting you, you may recall what I am telling you now and have peace. Most of us carry with us pictures of our loved ones, both living and deceased, as mementos and as reminders of their presence in our lives. And with time, these mementos become more than simple reminders: they also become sources of inspiration and strength whenever the need arises. In the Gospel reading for today, we encounter a similar scenario, albeit of a different nature. Jesus openly tells his disciples of the persecution and rejections that will come their way on account of his name. As a matter of fact, he assures them that persecution will indeed come their way. If they will stay true to their identity as his followers and follow into the footsteps of their master, they will for sure get into trouble with the “world.” The “world” did not accept him, their master, and it was highly unlikely that the “world” will accept them and the message which they will be bringing along. However, the disciples were not to be afraid. Two things were already put in place to help them out: the Holy Spirit whom the Father would send them, and two, their memory of Jesus (their memento).
“Whenever you do this, remember me,” Jesus had told his disciples on the occasion of the Last Supper (cf. Luke 22:19). The disciples’ memory of Jesus was to have a central place in the success of their mission. It was to be the hinge upon which everything which they were to do was to revolve. Their memory of Jesus was to fill them with courage and inspire them especially during those times when they would find themselves before magistrates and governors (cf. Luke 21:11ff). At such times when they will be facing tough questions, their memory of Jesus will come in handy, not to get them out of “trouble,” as it were, but rather to help them better testify and witness to their cause. The disciples’ memory of Jesus was thus different from their other “memories,” for while those other “memories” of theirs were naturally nostalgic, their memory of Jesus called them to action: “And you also will testify, because you have been with me from the very beginning.” They were to hold Jesus in their memories if they wanted to be like him.