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Experience has taught me that the Shepherd is far more willing to show His sheep the path than the sheep are to follow. He is endlessly merciful, patient, tender, and loving. If we, His stupid and wayward sheep, really want to be led, we will without fail be led. Of that I am sure.
- Elisabeth
Elliot
(Do you want to be led? Ask the Spirit to teach you how to follow.) |
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Gn 41:55-57; 42:5-7a, 17-24a; Ps 33:2-3,
10-11, 18-19 Mt 10:1-7 Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every
disease and every illness.
The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip
and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot
who betrayed
Jesus. Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
"Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at
hand.'" USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture |
Jesus “summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority to expel unclean
spirits and to cure sickness and disease of every kind.” —Matthew 10:1 In our secularized times, many Christians are so confused they deny or question the existence or activity of the devil. Their confusion permits the devil to get away with murder, lust, greed, perversion, etc. He has also been able to mass-produce his perversities through mass media, especially TV and online content. The
combination of these factors results in a dramatic increase in demonic activity not only in pagan lands but even in Christian areas. We have let the devil become very active in almost every aspect of life. We’ve given him opportunities he may not have had in the past. Before the devil even further develops his hell on earth, we must reclaim our society for Jesus by attacking the gates of hell (Mt
16:18), commanding Satan to leave (Mk 16:17), disarming and despoiling him (Lk 11:22), and bringing down all his strongholds (2 Cor 10:4). We should make a public spectacle of Satan (Col 2:15) and quickly crush him under our feet (Rm 16:20). Prayer: Father, in Your name I will work to change the culture of death into a civilization of love. Promise: “The eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear Him, upon those who hope for His kindness, to deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine.” —Ps 33:18-19 Presentation Ministries
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-Readings from Jesus Alive in Our Lives, by Philip St. Romain. Ave Maria Press, 1985. Contemplative Ministries, Inc. 2011. Part One, Chapter 6: Hope for the Future - Selected
quotes The reign of God is furthered every time an individual reaches out in love and self-sacrifice to another; it advances at quantum leaps when genuine prophets speak out for justice and peace. But the threats of nuclear devastation, pollution, the greenhouse effect, etc., cast a shadow over much of our work, sometimes reducing human efforts toward betterment to the level of
total absurdity. Many today are losing heart because of these problems. Even many Christians are finding that work in the present seems just a charade if there is no future into which we might hook our present hopes and dreams. Without a future, we are left only with the present moment, which we exploit fitfully for every smidgeon of pleasure we can extract from it. Never before in history have we so needed prophets of hope and lovers of humanity; never have voices of
pessimism and selfishness been so loud.
I believe that faith in Christ is capable of sustaining hope in this troubled time. Without this hope we shall lose heart completely. Hope is the substrate and progenitor of all creative human efforts; hope even precedes faith, giving it direction and energy; charity cannot become enflamed without hope, suffocating in its absence.
Although reasons to despair loom before us day and night, Christianity still affirms that the one who was crucified—-who bore the brunt of human wickedness and the forces of evil—-has already overcome the most insidious obstacles to human growth and social progress. Hope shall bear fruit.
“Jesus is risen,” proclaims the Church. If this is true, then he is the Lord of life
and death. His will is sovereign, his power is certain, his ability to keep his promises is assured. History shall not result in a complete reversal of the process of humanization that has been going on for thousands of years. The creative Power behind evolution will prevail. Humankind has a future.
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