Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 387
Reading 1
Hosea 14:2-10
Thus says the LORD:
Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;
you have collapsed through your guilt.
Take with you words,
and return to the LORD;
Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity,
and receive what is good, that we may render
as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.
Assyria will not save us,
nor shall we have horses to mount;
We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion.”
I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols?
I have humbled him, but I will prosper him.
“I am like a verdant cypress tree”—
because of me you bear fruit!
Let him who is wise understand these things;
let him who is prudent know them.
Straight are the paths of the LORD,
in them the just walk,
but sinners stumble in them.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-13, 14 AND 17
R. (17b) My mouth will declare your praise.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. My mouth will declare your praise.
Behold, you are pleased with sincerity of heart,
and in my inmost being you teach me wisdom.
Cleanse me of sin with hyssop, that I may be purified;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
R. My mouth will declare your praise.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. My mouth will declare your praise.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. My mouth will declare your praise.
Alleluia
John 16:13A; 14:26D
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
When the Spirit of truth comes,
he will guide you to all truth
and remind you of all I told you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Speaking in the Spirit of the Father
“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.” Matthew 10:19–20
This is an easy lesson to understand but very hard to live. This teaching of Jesus comes within the context of Him telling His Apostles that as they go forth to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, they will be handed over to courts, scourged in synagogues, and led before governors and kings. They will be persecuted in one town after another for sharing the Gospel. Though such a “pep-talk” may not at first seem that encouraging, the Gospel passage quoted above should provide much encouragement. Encouragement, that is, if they can follow Jesus’ advice in faith.
When we are condemned, judged, misunderstood and the like, it is very common to begin mounting our defense within our minds right away. We justify our actions, set up a tribunal in our minds by which we act as judge and jury of the other, finding them guilty and issuing them punishments. The sin traditionally referred to as “self-love” is a sin that stems from pride and is not love at all. It tempts us to defend ourselves, using our own human wisdom and counsel.
If we carefully consider Jesus’ teaching above, most people will realize that it is a very hard teaching to embrace. Essentially, when you are condemned or mistreated by another, remain silent in your heart. Do not immediately dwell on the wound they have inflicted. Do not become obsessed with the apparent injustice. Do not worry or become filled with anxiety at the perceived persecution. Instead, turn your eyes to Jesus, consider only His Voice and His Truth. And instead of looking at the wound that was inflicted upon you, look at the person inflicting it. And look at them with love. They are not the enemy, they are the battleground for Truth, and it is your mission to help them hear God’s truth. So how do you do that? Jesus’ answer is straightforward. “You will be given at that moment what you are to say.” Furthermore, Jesus makes it clear that it must be the “Spirit of your Father” who is to speak through you in such a case.
Living such a teaching especially requires two things: humility and trust. Humility will allow the temptation to self-love (pride) to be set aside. This is essential if you are to hear the Voice of God speaking to you and, ultimately, allow Him to speak through you. Second, it is essential that you trust that what Jesus says is true. You must trust that, if you are humble and open to His Voice, that He will give you His words when He wants them spoken. This is difficult, because we often want to say far more than God chooses to say. God often calls us to silence in the face of injustice. A silence that is also imbued with love for the persecutor. This requires much trust in the grace of God, which results in an abundance of charity on your part.
Reflect, today, upon this teaching of our Lord. Consider how you react when someone condemns or judges you. How do you respond to such persecutions? Begin with silence, turn your eyes to the other out of love for them, and then listen and wait on the Lord. Wait until He gives you the words to say. Doing so is not only good for the persecutor, it is also exceptionally good for your own soul and holiness of life.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
ASKING FOR IT?
“Straight are the paths of the Lord, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them.” —Hosea 14:10
As a child, did you readily obey your parents when they quietly told you to do something? Or did you tend to ignore the first command, not respond well to the quiet approach, or even not get serious about obedience until confronted with punishment?
As we get older, we don’t necessarily change for the better. We can make our hearts even harder. Consequently, the Lord commands us not to harden our hearts (Ps 95:8). Yet if we insist on hardness of heart, then the Lord in His mercy will raise His voice, shake us up to wake us up, and “continue the punishment of the wicked up to the day of judgment” (2 Pt 2:9). The Lord is kind to the humble, but the arrogant and hard of heart require His sternness (1 Pt 5:5; Prv 3:34).
Are you creating a scenario in your life where the best thing the Lord can do for you is to permit tragedies to befall you? Are you insisting that the Lord pay you the wages of sin? (Rm 6:23) Are you almost asking the Lord to let you “hit rock bottom”? “Take with you words, and return to the Lord” (Hos 14:3). Let the Lord love you freely and turn away His wrath from you (Hos 14:5). “Let him who is wise understand these things; let him who is prudent know them” (Hos 14:10).
Prayer: Father, may I quit being so stubborn.
Promise: “When they hand you over, do not worry about what you will say or how you will say it. When the hour comes, you will be given what you are to say. You yourselves will not be the speakers; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you.” —Mt 10:19-20
Praise: After his wife divorced him and his children married unbelievers, Donald rediscovered his Lord. Now he prays daily for them.
Reflection 3
The Servants of the Word
Sheep in the Midst of Wolves - Wise and Innocent
What does Jesus mean when he says his disciples must be sheep in the midst of wolves (Matthew 10:16)? The prophet Isaiah foretold a time when wolves and lambs will dwell in peace (Isaiah 11:6 and 65:25). This Old Testament prophecy certainly refers to the second coming of Christ when all will be united under the Lordship of Jesus after he has put down his enemies and established the reign of God over the heavens and the earth (Ephesians 1:10 and Revelation 11:15). In the meantime, the disciples must expect opposition and persecution from those who oppose the Gospel and the coming of God's kingdom.
The readiness to serve and face hardship for Christ and his kingdom
Jesus never hesitated to tell his disciples what they might expect if they chose to follow him. Here Jesus says to his disciples: This is my task for you at its grimmest and worst - do you accept it? This is not the world's way of recruitment for service and toil with promise of honor and reward. After the British defeat at Dunkirk (June 1940), Churchill offered his country blood, toil, sweat, and tears.
This is not the message we prefer to hear when the Lord Jesus commissions us in his service for the advancement of God's kingdom and the battle against Satan's kingdom of darkness and death. Nonetheless, our privilege is to follow in the footsteps of the Lord and Master who willingly laid down his life for us in order to bring us victory over Satan, sin, and death. Are you willing to accept hardship and suffering in serving the Lord Jesus Christ?
Prayers
My patient Lord, You, Who are the Savior of the World and the God of all, allowed Yourself to be falsely accused, judged and condemned. During it all, You remained silent and spoke only when the Father spoke through You. Help me to be freed of all pride, dear Lord, so that I will speak only Your holy words, think only the thoughts inspired by You and act only on Your holy command of love. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, help me to patiently and joyfully accept the hardships, adversities, and persecution which come my way in serving you and your kingdom of love, truth,and goodness. Strengthen my faith and give me courage that I may not shrink back from doing your will.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 193: Do Not Hesitate
If you won a million dollars you probably wouldn’t say, “No, just give me $100, that’s all I want.” And yet that is what we often do with the Mercy of God. God offers an abundance of wealth and we choose to take only a small portion. Why is that? His Mercy is limitless. It is infinite. If we understood all that God wants to do in our souls, and then cooperated with Him and allowed Him to do it, we’d be in absolute awe and eternally grateful that we discovered this priceless treasure. Perhaps the problem that many face in accepting His Mercy more fully is that it’s risky. It’s risky in the sense that we must change. Would a million dollars change your life? Probably. It would most likely change a number of things in your life, and not necessarily for the good. But the Mercy of God is a treasure of infinitely more value. Don’t hesitate! Take the risk to accept it and to allow it to change you for the good (See Diary #1017).
Do you hesitate in accepting God’s Mercy? If you do it’s important to realize this, admit to it and face the reason why. It’s a rare soul who is completely open to all that God wishes to bestow. It’s a rare soul who is not cowed by the risk of total abandonment to the Mercy of God. Choose to be one of those rare souls and embrace, without hesitation, all that God wants to pour out upon you and rejoice as you see His grace change your life.
Precious Lord, I thank You for Your abundance of Mercy. I thank You for loving me with such a perfect love that You burn with desire to lavish the riches of Your grace on my life in an endless way. May I cease all hesitation in the face of this glorious gift and willingly accept You and all that Your Mercy will do in my soul. I thank You, dear Lord. Jesus, I trust in You.
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