14TH FRIDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Matthew 10:16-23) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.” (Mt 10:22)

FIRST READING - 46:1-7, 28-30

A reading from the Book of Genesis

Israel set out with all that was his.

When he arrived at Beer-sheba,

he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

There God, speaking to Israel in a vision by night, called,

"Jacob! Jacob!"

He answered, "Here I am."

Then he said: "I am God, the God of your father.

Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt,

for there I will make you a great nation.

Not only will I go down to Egypt with you;

I will also bring you back here, after Joseph has closed your eyes."

So Jacob departed from Beer-sheba,

and the sons of Israel

put their father and their wives and children

on the wagons that Pharaoh had sent for his transport.

They took with them their livestock

and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan.

Thus Jacob and all his descendants migrated to Egypt.

His sons and his grandsons, his daughters and his granddaughters—

all his descendants—he took with him to Egypt.

Israel had sent Judah ahead to Joseph,

so that he might meet him in Goshen.

On his arrival in the region of Goshen,

Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot

and rode to meet his father Israel in Goshen.

As soon as Joseph saw him, he flung himself on his neck

and wept a long time in his arms.

And Israel said to Joseph, "At last I can die,

now that I have seen for myself that Joseph is still alive."

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - 10:16-23

From the Gospel according to Matthew

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."

14TH FRIDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Matthew 10:16-23)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

The Word of God in today’s Gospel teaches the apostles how to live as they go out to preach the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven. God said: “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.”

Why did God teach this? Because he knows that living in this world is a long-term spiritual battle with Satan. When Jesus Christ lived on earth, He also had to fight Satan in order to win back souls for God the Father through His obedience.

To overcome death and to defeat Satan, Jesus Christ had to endure many difficulties, obstacles, persecutions, beatings, humiliations, and misunderstandings. He was brought before the Sanhedrin for trial and was eventually sentenced to death by crucifixion.

Now, His disciples, who continue the mission of Jesus Christ, will likewise face persecution, humiliation, beatings, and even death. Jesus Christ knew in advance that these things would happen to His disciples. Therefore, He taught and reminded them to be vigilant, to listen to the teachings of God the Father, and obey Him in every step. In doing so, when they encounter difficulties, hardships, and challenges, they will be able to overcome them.

He further reminded them to look to the example of Jesus Christ dying on the cross as they continue on the path of this long-term spiritual battle with Satan.

The life of the disciples is no different from the life of Jesus Christ when He came to earth to become a human being. The disciples, too, will be brought before councils, kings, and authorities to be tried and condemned. But He advised the disciples: "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."

He also taught the disciples to be wise and alert. After each day of work, everyone needs to take time to pray and reflect on what they have done—what mistakes they made, what they accomplished—and to offer everything to God, asking Him to sanctify their efforts, to give them more strength, guidance, and instruction to continue their mission.

In addition, God calls on His disciples to have a simple heart and to entrust everything to Him so that they may confidently continue on the path of salvation, fulfilling the mission that Jesus Christ has entrusted to them. To defeat Satan, one must obey God the Father at all times and in all circumstances. Only by doing so can many souls be saved for God the Father from Satan's grasp.

God also taught His disciples: “When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.” If a city welcomes you, stay there and continue to save souls. If a town rejects and persecutes you, leave that place and go elsewhere. That is the wisdom God gave to His apostles.

With that wisdom, you will be able to accomplish everything that God entrusts to you.

Thanks be to God. Amen.