Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint 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.”
We are among wolves
1) Beware of men. I think this is where prudence comes in. It is good that you manifest your faith, but do not let fanaticism or pseudo mysticism take over your thoughts and actions. There are Christian people who do not seem to have their feet on the ground and make comments that are often a little out of place. Be prudent and don’t expose yourself unnecessarily, because not everyone around you has good intentions.
2) Don’t worry. Never lose your supernatural vision. Remember that God has a plan for your life. If you see God’s hand in your life you’ll realize that He never leaves you alone. He is always by your side, and He warns you of situations which might be harmful to you. I am convinced that God gives you clues when He sees that things are not going the right way. Learn to observe these, and let yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit.
3) Flee. There are times when it’s better to flee from conversations in which you are being attacked or that you know will end badly. It is necessary to be clear about whether it is worthwhile dwelling on aggressions in conversations or tense situations. If nothing comes out of it then what’s the point. Don’t waste time arguing about things that will end in nothing.
Always remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
