I have old you this so that when they expel you from the synagogues and persecute you, you may recall what I am telling you now. Most of us carry with us pictures of our loved ones as mementos and as reminders of their presence in our lives. And sometimes these mementos become more than simple reminders: they also become sources of inspiration and strength when needed. In our Gospel reading for today, we encounter a similar thing. Jesus openly tells his disciples the persecution and rejections that will come their way on account of his name. However, they are not to be afraid. There are two things that will help them out: the Holy Spirit that the Father will send them, as well as their memory of Jesus. “Whenever you do this, remember me,” Jesus had told them at the Last Supper (Luke 22:19). The disciples’ memory of Jesus was to have a central place in their mission. As a matter of fact, it was to be the hinge upon which everything 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, their memory of Jesus would not serve to get them out but rather to help them better testify: “And so you also testify because you have been with me from the beginning.” Our memory of Jesus is different from our other “memories,” for while those other “memories” of ours are nostalgic, our memory of Jesus calls us to action: “And you also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.” We hold Jesus in our memories because we want to be like him.