Sheep and Wolves
Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Matthew 10: 16-23 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.”
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
In this Gospel, Jesus is speaking clearly, very clearly, about the cost of discipleship. He speaks often about suffering, trials, and persecution. He needs to be clear with us, because the road is hard. And we must pay attention to this so we will not be discouraged when trials come. But we have to understand Jesus’ warning in context. Jesus is also very clear in the Gospels that the road to Him is full of joy. There is a very important lesson that many Christians still need to learn: joy can coincide with suffering.
Suffering is never easy… and it will be present, frequently, until the day we die. But this doesn’t mean that deep joy cannot also be present. Many people spend all their energy trying to remove suffering from their life, only to learn two lessons: A) it is impossible to remove all suffering, and B) once suffering leaves, happiness doesn’t automatically come. So our goal shouldn’t be not to suffer. Our goal should be to find joy. There is always joy when we are close to God (yes, even if we’re close to Him on the Cross). The secret to a happy life isn’t the absence of suffering, it’s the finding of joy. It can always be found in Christ.
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
Like Pier? Share it with others (via links below) / Subscribe to it (below) / Support (the mission)
