18. After him they brought forward the sixth. And when he was about to die, he said, "Do not deceive yourself in vain. For we are suffering these things on our own account, because of our sins against our own God. Therefore astounding things have happened.
2 Maccabees 7 narrates the story of the seven brothers and their mother who were arrested and tortured by King Antiochus Epiphanius for refusing to eat pork, which was considered impure by the Jewish law. Each brother is subjected to terrible torture, but none of them gives rise to the king's pressure to abandon his beliefs and renounce his faith in God.
2 Samuel 22:33: "God is my fortress and my strength, and He makes my way perfect." This verse emphasizes the inner strength that the brothers find in God to resist torture and remain faithful to their beliefs.
Matthew 10:28: "Do not fear those who kill the body, and they cannot kill the soul; I rather feared the one who can make the soul and body perish in hell." This verse emphasizes the importance of faith and loyalty to God above all things, even if it means facing death.
Romans 8:18: "For for me I am sure that the sufferings of the present time cannot be compared to the glory to be revealed in us." This verse highlights the idea that temporal suffering are insignificant compared to the eternal reward of remaining faithful to God.
Hebrews 11:35-38: "Women received their dead by the resurrection; some were tortured, not accepting their deliverance, to reach a better resurrection; and others experienced scarren and winging, and even chains and arrests. They were stoned, proven , sawn in the middle, killed in width of sword; pilgrims, dressed in sheep and goats, needy, afflicted, mistreated (whom the world was not worthy), wandering by the deserts, the hills, the pits and the antos from the earth." This verse refers to many people in biblical history who have suffered persecution and torture because of their faith in God, highlighting their perseverance and loyalty to God in the midst of great adversity.
1 Peter 1:6-7: "What makes me very happy is that you have been called to communion with Jesus Christ, our Lord. For though you are saddened by all kinds of trial, they are proof of your faith - very much More precious than gold, which is perishable and yet is refined by fire - so that it is recognized that by passing by many tribulations, your faith is not shaken but persevere. " This verse highlights the importance of faith and perseverance in the midst of tribulation and suffering, emphasizing the belief that these trials help strengthen faith and make the person closer to God.
“Seja perseverante nas orações e nas santas leituras.” São Padre Pio de Pietrelcina
