Daily Reflection – 7/12/2024
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
Following Jesus is not always an easy path. It is often said that when we choose to follow Christ, we are choosing a life of peace and joy. While this is true, it is also true that following Jesus can lead to conflict, alienation, and even persecution. Today’s Scripture gives us a stark reminder of this reality.
In Matthew 10:16, Jesus warns His disciples, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” This advice is as relevant today as it was centuries ago. Jesus calls us to find a balance between being too jaded and too naive. Neither extreme is good; instead, we need to be discerning and innocent simultaneously.
I remember a time when I found myself in a heated discussion with a family member over a moral issue. The conversation quickly turned divisive, and I feared that standing firm in my beliefs would alienate someone I love. Yet, I realized that speaking up for what is right often means making others uncomfortable. This is exactly what Jesus calls us to do.
Jesus spoke about family members turning against His disciples, a prophecy that hits close to home in today’s divided culture. In the United States, political, social, and moral divides often pit even family members against each other. Speaking up for what is right or moral can lead to friction, but it is a necessary part of following Jesus.
Jesus never sugar-coated the reality of following Him. He presented His disciples with the grim and challenging aspects of their mission. Much like Churchill’s promise of “blood, toil, sweat, and tears” during World War II, Jesus offers us a similar reality when we choose to follow Him.
While the words of Jesus Christ outline the hardships and persecutions that His followers may face, we must always remember that it is our privilege to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, who laid down His life to bring us victory over Satan, sin, and death.
Following Jesus is a conscious daily choice. It means standing firm in His teachings, even when it leads to conflict or alienation. It requires a balance of shrewdness and innocence, wisdom and simplicity. And most importantly, it means being ready to face hardship and persecution for the sake of His name.
Every morning, we have the choice to follow Jesus and live as He did. While this path may bring unexpected challenges, it also brings abundant graces.
Are you ready to take up the challenge of following Christ, even when it’s difficult? Reflect on how you can better balance shrewdness and innocence in your daily life and stand firm in your faith.
Stay inspired, stay strong, and remember, you’re not alone in this walk
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.
Pretty intense