WISDOM AND INNOCENCE - 7/8/22 (Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time)

Matthew 10:16-23

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.”

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070822.cfm

For the examination of conscience and guide to confession, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Blessed Friday! Our Lord has given us the task to evangelize, to proclaim the gospel. This mission is not only give to the apostles but to all of us. However, Jesus is reminding us that this mission will not be easy, and in fact, it will be full of hardships. He told His disciples that they would be persecuted because of sharing the truth of Christ. They would be persecuted for the sake of our Lord. In the same way, this will happen to us as we live the Catholic faith. Because many people oppose the teachings of the Catholic Church, we will be targeted of their oppositions, mockeries, and criticisms. As such, we should be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 

Wisdom is a gift from God. This is different from the wisdom of the world. True wisdom is a grace which enable us to discern God's will in many situations in life. This wisdom is a gift because this is given to us by our Lord for us to know Him. When we are faithful to Jesus, we will receive many false accusations. Let's consider one example such as abortion. Because we believe in human dignity and uphold the right to life of all people, we reject the laws that promote abortion while making sure that the life of the mothers and their children will be protected. And yet, despite our faithfulness to God and love towards humanity, we will be mocked by supporters of pro-abortion or pro-choice as if we are attacking the rights of the women. Still, in these situations, God gives us the wisdom in order to explain the truth to many people. 

One tendency we should avoid is committing a sin, especially if we are tempted to be impatient with others. This is why Jesus invites us to be innocent like doves. In everything we do, we should always glorify God and avoid sinning. In this way, we can have a pure intention of doing the will of God. We may be hurt when we see some people who offend God. We may be hurt when the lives of the unborn children are disrespected. But, we should imitate the innocence and patience of Christ. Just like Jesus, we should be patient and gentle to people whom we meet, even when they irritate us. Even though a person has many sins, patience will teach us to bear their faults just as how our Lord bore our sins on the cross. 

It is truly difficult when we suffer, especially because of the people who are close to us. We may be persecuted, not just by strangers, but even by our own co-workers, classmates, friends and family members. Let's not lose hope because Jesus promises salvation to people who will persevere. And, holy perseverance is a gift from God. If the Lord is calling us to study our Catholic faith to equip ourselves, let's remember to beg for His wisdom. During the times that we hear the complaints and objections of people around us, we should still pray for His guidance and reflect on why they say what they say. Also, it is necessary for us to be patient with them which we can also obtain through constant prayer, even interior prayer, especially during heated conversations. God speaks through us. Because of this, let's speak the truth while being charitable and understanding towards one another. Jesus is always with us as we carry our own crosses.

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic