Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew, 34-42, 11, 1
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
For I have come to set
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s enemies will be those of his household.
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
“Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous
will receive a righteous man’s reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple–
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”
When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,
he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.
Won’t go unrewarded
1. The Sword. In life, you’ll inevitably face decisions. Every decision brings internal and external conflict and struggle, but these are just steps before calm arrives. Every step through conflict should lead to a period of peace. Sitting down to talk with someone who’s complicating your life is certainly difficult, even painful, but after that you’ll feel peace and calm. Maybe you’re in a situation where it’s hard to confront someone because they disrupt your peace. However, you need to realize there comes a time when confronting them is necessary to achieve peace. I won’t deny there will be wounds and pain, but there will also be peace.
2. Enemies. It’s definitely hard to accept that enemies can be people who’re close to us—even our own family and friends. When someone uses their knowledge of your private life and of your weaknesses to hurt and control you, they’re not your friend. Someone who truly cares about you won’t exploit your vulnerabilities to control or destroy you.
3. Reward. Life gives us rewards within this very struggle. Both battles and moments of clarity are part of life, and they also involve confronting yourself. This demands that you live your life by doing good and helping others without expecting anything in return. The key is knowing that everything comes back to you in this life, one way or another.
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.
