Dear Friend,
Jesus commanded His disciples to go on mission. The Gospel this Sunday (Matthew 10:28-33) narrates His instructions before they left. It could have been the first of several of their missions.
Let your family learn also from these instructions. Please read it to them and discuss His words.
The instructions of Jesus contained three (3) "do not be afraid" phrases. These phrases were preceded by the words "therefore", "and", and "so" connoting that what Jesus said in this Gospel were conclusions to what He had previously said. Find this out and read preceding verses 16 to 25 first to the family. You will see that in these verses, Jesus was telling His disciples what to expect in their mission. What were these?
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"Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves." There would be threats to their lives and they would be as helpless as sheep in the midst of wolves.
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"But beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans." But this will be an opportunity to be a witness of the teachings of Jesus.
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"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." The sheep will not be helpless after all but will have the Spirit of the Father for protection.
Please proceed with the reading of this Sunday’s Gospel to your family.
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"Therefore do not be afraid of them." Jesus wanted His disciples to have courage in meeting any hostile people they would meet during mission.
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"Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops." The disciples are to be the messengers of the words of Jesus. Jesus lived God’s words. Now, the people in the dark will see God’s words lived by ordinary people, the disciples.
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"And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna." (Gehenna was a place of torture, or hell.) The people who would scourge the disciples could only kill the body but not the soul. They need not be afraid of them.
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"So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." If the Father cared for sparrows, certainly He would take care of His disciples.
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"Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father." This is the purpose of the mission – to acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ. Everyone who does this will have Jesus by his/her side when facing the Father.
Meditation ~
The disciples had nothing to fear. They may be like sheep in the midst of wolves but they have the Holy Spirit with them. All they need is believe and have faith.
This is also what I need.
The disciples went on mission to discover their faith. Practice makes perfect.
This is what Jesus wanted them to do.
This is what Jesus wanted me to do – to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ.
Contemplation ~
Imagine yourself standing beside Jesus as He gives final instructions to His disciples. Listen to His words. Search yourself. How you feel hearing His words? What He meant for you to do? How His words move you?
Family Response ~
Talk about how you are being moved by the words of Jesus with your family at the first opportunity.
Be aware of any "paradigm shift" in your life.
Joe & Charito
THE CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF MANILA'S
ONLINE RESOURCE FOR FAMILY MINISTRIES
www.simbahayan.org
servants@simbahayan.org
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