Prepare for Persecution
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.” Matthew 10:16-18

Imagine yourself being a follower of Jesus at the time He was preaching. Imagine that there is much excitement about Him and great hopes that He will be the new King and is the Messiah. There would be much hope and excitement about what is to come.

But then, out of the blue, Jesus gives this sermon. He says that His followers will be persecuted and scourged and that this persecution will continue over and over. This must have made His followers stop and seriously question Jesus and wonder if it was worth following Him.

The persecution of Christians has been alive and well throughout the ages. It has happened in every time and in every culture. It continues to be alive today. So what do we do with that? How do we respond?

Many Christians can fall into the trap of thinking that Christianity is all about simply “getting along.” It’s easy to believe that if we are loving and kind then everyone will also love us. But that’s not what Jesus said.

Jesus made it clear that persecution is going to be a part of the Church and that we should not be surprised when this happens to us. We should not be surprised when those within our culture step on us and act maliciously. When this happens it is easy for us to lose faith and to lose heart. We can get discouraged and feel like turning our faith into a hidden life we live. It’s hard to live our faith openly knowing that the culture and world does not like that and won’t accept it.

The examples are all around us. All we have to do is read the secular news to be made aware of a growing hostility toward the Christian faith. For that reason, we need to heed Jesus’ words today more than ever. We need to be aware of His warning and have hope in His promise that He will be with us and will give us the words to say when we need it. More than anything, this passage calls us to hope and confidence in our loving God.

Reflect, today, on how ready and willing you are to face the hostility of the world. You should not react with similar hostility, rather, you must strive to have courage and strength to endure any and every persecution with the help, strength and wisdom of Christ.

Lord, give me strength, courage and wisdom as I live my faith in a world hostile to You. May I respond with love and mercy in the face of harshness and misunderstanding. Jesus, I trust in You.

The Cost of the Gospel
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. Matthew 10:8b
What is the cost of the Gospel? Can we put a price on it? Interestingly, we should put two prices on it. The first price is how much it should cost us to receive it. The second price is how much we “charge,” so to speak, to give the Gospel.
So how much should the Gospel cost us? The answer is that it’s of infinite value. We could never afford it monetarily speaking. The Gospel is priceless.
As far as how much we should “charge” to give the Gospel to others, the answer is that it’s free. We have no right to charge or expect anything so as to give away something that we do not own. The saving message of the Gospel belongs to Christ and He offers it freely.
Let’s start with the second half of the Scripture above. “Without cost you are to give.” This tells us that we are to offer the Gospel to others free of charge. But this action of freely giving the Gospel brings with it a sort of hidden requirement. The giving of the Gospel requires that we give of ourselves. And that means we must give of ourselves freely. What’s the justification for giving everything of ourselves freely? The justification is that we have received everything “without cost.”
The simple fact is that the Gospel is all about a total free gift to us which requires a total free gift of ourselves to others. The Gospel is a person, Jesus Christ. And when He comes and lives in us freely, we must then become a total and free gift to others.
Reflect, today, on both your complete receptivity of the Gospel as well as your complete willingness to give. May your understanding and reception of this glorious gift of God transform you into a gift for others.

Lord, may my heart be open to You in a total way so that I may receive You as the Living Gospel. As I receive You, may I in turn give You to others in my very person. Amen.

Miracles and Faith

Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.  Matthew 10:1

Jesus gives His Apostles a sacred authority.  They were able to drive out demons and heal the sick.  They also won many converts to Christ by their preaching.

It’s interesting to look at this extraordinary charism the Apostles had to act miraculously.  It’s interesting because we do not see this happen that often today.  However, at the beginnings of the Church it seems that miracles were quite common.  One reason for this is that Jesus made quite a statement in the beginning to set things in motion.  The miracles He did and those of His Apostles were powerful signs of the power and presence of God.  These miracles helped the preaching of the Apostles to be more believable and bring forth many converts.  It seems that, as the Church grew, miracles in such great numbers were not as necessary for the authentication of the Word of God.  The personal lives and witness of believers eventually were sufficient to spread the Gospel without the help of numerous miracles.  Martyrdom and acts of great faith became the true signs of God’s presence.

This is helpful to understand because we see something similar in our own lives of faith and conversion.  Often times, in the beginning of our faith journey, we have many powerful experiences of God’s presence.  There may be deep consoling spiritual feelings and a clear sense that God is with us.  But over time, these feelings can start to disappear and we can wonder where they went or wonder if we have done something wrong.  There is an important spiritual lesson here.

As our faith deepens, the spiritual consolations we may receive at the beginning can often fade away because God wants us to love and serve Him out of a more purified faith and love.  We should believe and follow Him not because He makes us feel good, but because it is good and right to love and serve Him.  This can be a difficult lesson to learn but an essential one.

Reflect, today, upon how deep and sustaining your faith is.  Do you know and love God even when things are hard and when He seems far away?  Those moments, more than any, are the moments when your personal faith and conversion can grow the strongest. 

Lord, help my faith in You and my love of You to be deep, stable and strong.  Help me to rely upon that faith more than upon any external “miracles” or feelings.  Help me to love You first and foremost out of a pure love for You.  Jesus, I trust in You.

Irrationality V Normaley
A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus, and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the prince of demons.” Matthew 9:32-34

What a stark contrast we see in the reaction of the crowds compared to the reaction of the Pharisees. It’s actually quite a sad contrast.

The reaction of the crowds, meaning normal everyday people, was one of amazement. Their reaction reveals a simple and pure faith that accepts what it sees. What a blessing it is to have this form of faith.

The reaction of the Pharisees was one of judgment, irrationality, jealousy and harshness. Most especially, it is irrational. What would lead the Pharisees to conclude that Jesus “drives out demons by the prince of demons?” Certainly it was nothing that Jesus did that would lead them to this conclusion. Therefore, the only logical conclusion is that the Pharisees were filled with a certain jealousy and envy. And these sins led them to this ridiculous and irrational conclusion.

The lesson we should learn from this is that we must approach other people with humility and honesty rather than jealousy. By seeing those around us with humility and love, we will naturally arrive at genuine and honest conclusions about them. Humility and honest love will enable us to see the goodness of others and rejoice in that goodness. Sure, we will also be aware of sin, but humility will help us to avoid making rash and irrational judgments about others as a result of jealousy and envy.

Reflect, today, on the way you normally think and speak about others. Do you tend to be more like the crowds who saw, believed and were amazed at the good things Jesus did? Or are you more like the Pharisees who tend to fabricate and exaggerate in their conclusions. Commit yourself to the normalcy of the crowds so that you, too, can find joy and amazement in Christ.

Lord, I desire to have a simple, humble and pure faith. Help me to also see You in others in a humble way. Help me to see You and to be amazed at Your presence in the lives of those whom I encounter every day. Jesus, I trust in You.

Trusting the Almighty

When Jesus arrived at the official’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, he said, “Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they ridiculed him. When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl arose. And news of this spread throughout all that land. Matthew 9:23-26

Jesus performed many miracles. He overwhelmed the laws of nature time and time again. In this Gospel passage He overcomes death by bringing this little girl back to life. And He does it in such a way that it appears to be quite normal and easy for Him.

It’s insightful to reflect upon Jesus’ approach to the miracles He performed. Many were amazed and in shock of His miraculous power. But Jesus appears to do it as a normal part of His day. He doesn’t make a big deal about it and, in fact, He often tells people to keep His miracles quiet.

One obvious thing this reveals to us is that Jesus does have complete power over the physical world and all the laws of nature. We are reminded in this story that He is the Creator of the Universe and the source of all that is. If He can create all things by simply willing it, He can easily recreate and transform the laws of nature by His will.

Understanding the full truth of His complete authority over nature should also give us confidence in His complete authority over the spiritual world and everything that makes up our lives. He can do all things and can do all things easily.

If we can arrive at a deep faith in His almighty power, and also arrive at a clear understanding of His perfect love and perfect knowledge of us, we will be in a position to trust Him on a level we never knew possible. Why wouldn’t we completely trust Him who can do all things and loves us perfectly? Why wouldn’t we trust Him who knows everything about us and desires only our good? We should trust Him! He is worthy of that trust, and our trust will unleash His almighty power in our lives.

Reflect, today, upon two things. First, do you understand the depth of His power? Second, do you know that His love compels Him to use that power for your good? Knowing and believing these truths will change your life and allow Him to perform miracles of grace.

Lord, I do believe in Your absolute authority over all things and Your complete authority over my life. Help me to trust in You and to trust in Your love for me. Jesus, I do trust