Reflections On Him

Being Wary Of The Wolves

Sacred Scripture

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.” (Matthew 10:16-23)

Reflection
Today’s Scripture has a very different tone. Jesus continues his instructions to his disciples. However, he warns his disciples that as they proclaim his message, they need to be careful. They will be vulnerable, like sheep amid wolves. Thus, they need to be alert and shrewd in their assessment of everyone they encounter.
His advice is good for us today as well, “be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.” Some of us are too jaded, and some of us are too naive. Neither extreme is good. It is difficult to find the right balance between the two, but that is exactly what Jesus is calling us to do. There are too many false prophets calling us to their cause.
But the authentic Christian has the most powerful discerning rod of all. All we need to do is to examine whether a person is living the love of Jesus Christ. What is troubling about the gospel today is that Jesus spoke about family members turning against his disciples. Sometimes this happens in our family too. In the United States today, the culture is deeply divided, and each side believes fervently that their position is right. It has become so divisive that even family members weigh that which they have to say for fear of alienating someone they love. Instead of the open love and levity of a family centered on Christ, families hold back their words rather than face the prospect of losing someone they love.
Actually, most of the time when we speak up for what is right, or good, or moral, tn we often make other people upset with us. But this is exactly what Jesus called us to do. He called us to love one another as brothers and sisters. Sometimes, in a family, corrections need to be made or spoken of. If the foundation of love is the bedrock of a family, then words spoken from love to those we love should never be destructive.
Following Jesus is not an easy path. Following Jesus means that every day we must consciously choose to be and do what Jesus did. At times, this may bring consequences that we do not expect. However, if we truly live as Jesus lived, we may rock some boats and make enemies just as he did. But we always have a choice. And every morning, we must make a choice! If we choose to live and act as Jesus did, we will receive abundant graces! Only we can choose!

Prayer of The Day
“Lord, help me to patiently and joyfully accept the hardships, adversities, and persecution which come my way in serving you. Strengthen my faith and give me courage that I may not shrink back from doing your will”.

Daily Note
Jesus needs us today more than any other time because today we see the world being slowly enveloped by the culture of secularization. What are we going to do about this tilting paradigm” shift toward secularization? Are we just going to stand idly, do nothing and be indifferent to the mission of Jesus? Our indifference towards the mission of Jesus contributes to the degeneration of the value formation of this world. Many of us are even already afraid to take up the cudgels for Jesus, so we confine Jesus inside the walls of the church.

The Call That Changes Us

Sacred Scripture
Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. The names of the twelve Apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus. Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” (Matthew 10:1-7)

Reflection
What an interesting group of people Jesus chose to be His first emissaries. Different walks of life, different educations, different accents.
They were non- professionals, had no wealth or position. They were chosen from the common people who did ordinary things. Jesus wanted ordinary people who could take an assignment and do it extraordinarily well. He chose these men, not for what they were, but for what they would be capable of becoming under his direction and power.
That should not come as a surprise. After all, Jesus Christ lived a public ministry of doing extraordinary things. And this Lord, who loves to transform and change, also worked wonders with the Twelve!
These Twelve, with their varied personalities and characters, were handed on the Charge to continue the Gigantic Task of their Daring Master: “To be the Ambassadors of the Kingdom of God”. To be with Him and to be sent out. To have authority over unclean spirits and drive them out. To cure every disease and illness and to preach! These chosen lights were to cast their rays over the rest of humanity, in all nations.
The message for us? He is willing to transform us! The only thing that He needs from us is Our Consent, Our Willingness, Our Openness! Let’s not allow our self-perceptions to get in the way of answering His call. If we pause long enough, and listen long enough, we will hear His call to each of us. Further My Kingdom. Right where you are now, live my Gospel and by doing so, be my light.
Yes, the Lord is calling you and me, the Lord is desiring you and me, the Lord is wanting you and me.
Are we hearing? Let this not remain a Missed Call! Let’s pick up, and answer. and co-operate with the Our Lord who calls us to “Dare to be Different”!

Prayer of The Day
“Lord, you have chosen me to be your disciple. Take and use what I can offer, however meager it may seem, for the greater glory of your name.”

Daily Note
Our vocation as an apostle is not a question of our wanting to be one. It is not a question of our talents or compelling feelings for this or that, but of our faith-driven awareness of God asking and our responding. Why are we where we are now in our vocation in life? In our particular marriage? In a particular lay movement? We can never know fully, for only God knows the depths of his own wisdom. This is the first mystery of the Kingdom that touches each one of us personally: God called, he willed it, and we said “yes.” This is the only answer we should seek. Anything else slows down the mission and interrupts the dialogue of love and service to the mission.