FRIDAY OF THE FOURTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - Mt 10:16-23 - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

"I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves." (My 10:16)

READING OF THE DAY

A reading from the Book of Isaiah

Is 7:1-9

In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah,

Rezin, king of Aram,

and Pekah, king of Israel, son of Remaliah,

went up to attack Jerusalem,

but they were not able to conquer it.

When word came to the house of David that Aram

was encamped in Ephraim,

the heart of the king and the heart of the people trembled,

as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.

Then the LORD said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz,

you and your son Shear-jashub,

at the end of the conduit of the upper pool,

on the highway of the fuller’s field, and say to him:

Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear;

let not your courage fail

before these two stumps of smoldering brands

the blazing anger of Rezin and the Arameans,

and of the son Remaliah,

because of the mischief that

Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah,

plots against you, saying,

“Let us go up and tear Judah asunder, make it our own by force,

and appoint the son of Tabeel king there.”

Thus says the LORD:

This shall not stand, it shall not be!

Damascus is the capital of Aram,

and Rezin is the head of Damascus;

Samaria is the capital of Ephraim,

and Remaliah’s son the head of Samaria.

But within sixty years and five,

Ephraim shall be crushed, no longer a nation.

Unless your faith is firm

you shall not be firm!

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew

Mt 11:20-24

Jesus began to reproach the towns

where most of his mighty deeds had been done,

since they had not repented.

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!

For if the mighty deeds done in your midst

had been done in Tyre and Sidon,

they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.

But I tell you, it will be more tolerable

for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

And as for you, Capernaum:

Will you be exalted to heaven?

You will go down to the nether world.

For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom,

it would have remained until this day.

But I tell you, it will be more tolerable

for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

FRIDAY OF THE FOURTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - Mt 10:16-23

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

God's words in today's Gospel teaches the apostles how to live when they go out to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven. God says: "Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves."

Why does God command something like that? Yes, because we know that living on this earth is a long-term spiritual battle with Satan. When Jesus Christ Himself lived on earth, he also had to fight Satan to win back souls to God the Father through His obedience. To defeat death and defeat Satan, Jesus Christ had to face many difficulties, obstacles, persecution, beatings, humiliation, and misunderstandings and was dragged before the synod for trial and finally, He was sentenced to be crucified to death on a cross.

Now, His disciples, who continue the mission of Jesus Christ, will also inevitably be arrested, humiliated, beaten, and killed. Jesus Christ knew that would happen to His disciples. Therefore, He taught and reminded them to be more alert, to listen to God the Father's instructions, and to obey Him in every way, so that when they encounter difficulties, hardships, or challenges, the disciples will overcome them. He further reminded us to look to the example of Jesus Christ dying on the cross to move forward on the path of a long-term spiritual battle with Satan.

The lives of the disciples are no different from the life of Jesus Christ when He came to earth as a human. The disciples will also be brought before the synod, before the king and the authorities, to be tried and condemned. He advised His 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 speaks but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."

He also taught His disciples to be wise and alert. After each working day, everyone needs to have time to pray and look back at the work they have done. What was wrong? What has been done? To offer everything to God for sanctification, guidance, and instruction, in order to keep going.

Besides, God also invites His disciples to have a simple heart, trusting everything to God so they can safely continue on the path of salvation, and continue the mission that Jesus Christ gave. To defeat Satan's demons, we must obey God the Father in every place and at all times. By doing so, we will be able to save many souls for God the Father from the hands of Satan.

God also instructed His disciples: "When they persecute you in one town, flee to another." Any city that welcomes us will stay and continue to help souls. If any city does not accept us or persecutes us, leave that place and move elsewhere. That is the wisdom that God taught the apostles. With that wisdom, we will be able to do everything that God gives us.

Thanks be to God. Amen.