The Holy Gospel according to Matthew (10:17-22)
Jesus said to his Apostles: “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.”
Reflection: Today’s Gospel is from the Memorial for St. Andrew Dung-Lac and companions. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, about 130,000 Christians were martyred in Vietnam for practicing their faith. Today the Church remembers 117 of those killed. Among them is St. Andrew Dung-Lac, a Catholic convert and priest, some Spanish Dominican bishops, priests, a seminarian, some 3rd order Dominicans and other lay people. All of them were killed for preaching and practicing their Catholic faith. They were canonized in June 1988 by Pope John Paul II.
In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus telling his disciples too beware and warns them of some of the dangers they will face for being his followers. These warnings have applied to all Christians since then. Since the early church, Christians have been hated, persecuted and some have been martyred, all because of their belief in the name of Jesus Christ. The martyrs who endured such torments are now in the hands of God and intercede for all of us.
Today in many other parts of the world, people are still persecuted for their faith In America, we may not be dragged to courts and taken before governors for witnessing to our faith. We do not face martyrdom or many of those things spoken of in the Gospel. We may face persecution, ridicule, and other obstacles for practicing our faith. There may be times when we may feel like a sheep among the wolves. It is during these times of trial that we need to place our trust in God. As Jesus tells us in this Gospel, the Holy Spirit and God our Father will give us the words to speak, and whoever perseveres to the end will be saved. We can follow the example of St. Stephan, one of the first seven deacons in the early church, and the first martyr. As he was being stoned to death, he placed his trust in the Lord saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
Action of the Day: We are followers of Jesus Christ because we believe and have faith in him. At times we may be challenged for what we believe. When we are challenged, pray for the grace that God will give us the words to say. As it is said in the scriptures, “1Peter 3:15; Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence…” Also, in you daily prayers, pray for those Christians still persecuted and martyred in our world.
Audio Reflection:
