Word to the Wise
Friday, July 8, 2022 - Friday in the 14th Week in Ordinary Time
[Hos 14:2-10 and Matt 10:16-23]"Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves." [Matthew]
The 10th chapter of the Gospel According to Matthew is one long combination of training/pep talk addressed to the twelve disciples. But, as in the case of all four gospels, the text reflects the contemporary experience of the community for which the particular gospel was written. In short, the evangelist Matthew is speaking to those who were disciples at the time, and about the experiences they were having. Jesus could say, "I warned you! Discipleship is no cake walk!" Negative reaction and even family division will result from preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God!
I continue to admire the students from our Catholic student center here at Texas Tech University who staff a table in an area outside the university student center called "the free speech corridor." A banner in front of the table proclaims, "ASK A CATHOLIC!" They field both sincere inquiry and outright attack, especially by anti-Catholic preachers with battery-powered megaphones. They put their discipleship on the line.
The Gospel According to Matthew does not offer a fuzzy altruistic way of life to a current or prospective disciple. Faithful and consistent witness to Jesus' teachings in the face of secular or ideological resistance can be difficult and even life-threatening. Our own appetites can become adversaries! The question I once saw on a poster puts it neatly: "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" AMEN