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Gospel Reading for July 12, 2024 – Matthew 10: 16-23
THE STRONGEST
Jesus said to his Apostles: “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”
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The message of Jesus to his Apostles was probably quite shocking and frightening to them. When they decided to follow Jesus, surely, they did not have an inkling of this. Had they known, would they have followed him? We do not know. But what we know is that except for John, they all died a martyr’s death. They died in defense of the Faith.
By virtue of our baptism, we too, are called to defend the Faith. Some of us may be gifted with the ability to proclaim, but most importantly, we need to defend the Faith by adhering to the Laws of God. Even if we may be as obedient and innocent as sheep, we need to be shrewed and simple at the same time, to identify wolves or the devils around us, even inside our own families and group of friends. We should be able to identify the enemy so as not to be caught by surprise. And, we need not be afraid of the enemy because our weapon is by far, THE STRONGEST – THE SPIRIT OF GOD HIMSELF!
Let us ponder on this song written by John Michael Talbot, BE NOT AFRAID –
You shall cross the barren desert,
but you shall not die of thirst.
You shall wander far in safety
though you do not know the way.
You shall speak your words in foreign lands
and all will understand.
You shall see the face of God and live!
Be not afraid,
I go before you always.
Come follow me
and I will give you rest.
Blessed are your poor,
for the kingdom shall be theirs
Blessed are you that weep and mourn
for one day you shall laugh.
And if wicked men insult and
hate you all because of me,
blessed, blessed are you!
Be not afraid,
I go before you always.
Come follow me
and I will give you rest.
