HOMILY FOR THE 14TH FRIDAY OF ORDINARY TIME: YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: MISSION DEFINED
BY: Fr. Paul Karabari
‘Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors…for my sake.’
You probably already know this, but choosing to follow Jesus doesn’t mean that everything is easy from that point forward. In reality, living as a Christian can often have its own set of challenges. The Bible says: ‘Everyone who wants to live as God desires, in Christ Jesus, will be persecuted’ (2 Timothy 3:12).
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Jesus in the Gospel of today (Matthew 10:16-23) announced and defined the nature of the mission the disciples were embarking on. The images of sheep encountering wolves and people being dragged in accusations before councils and kings are definitely fearful. He didn’t promise them that they would dine and drink wine in the field. The version of Christianity we now have where everything must go well with us is surely man-made. But He promised the companionship of the Holy Spirit. You know what He does? He supplies grace but won’t take away the wolves.
Whatever your situation is, staying close to God and confident in your faith is the answer. When talking about persecution, Jesus said: ‘But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved’ (Matthew 10:22). God sees you, loves you, and is walking with you to help you keep your resolve until the end. He doesn’t want you to be ashamed of Him or afraid of sharing your faith. It can be difficult, but with a lot of prayers, it’s possible to remain in your circumstances and confidently share God’s love.
We can see this through Paul’s assurance in prison. From his cell, Paul wrote: ‘I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed but will have sufficient courage so that now, as always, Christ will be exalted in my body’ (Philippians 1:18-20). Will you aim to let Christ be exalted in your life despite the troubles you may face? GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God have mercy on us, heal our world, bless and protect us all through Christ, our Lord Amen.
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