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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.”
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
Eighteen months ago, my five brothers, two sisters, and I stood upstairs by our dying mother’s bedside, reminiscing, laughing, and praying the rosary as our almost-dying father lay downstairs in his medical recliner. We moved between them, bringing them comfort and quiet presence, as they had done for us on childhood sick days, broken-hearted teenage days, and disappointing or tragic adulthood days.
In my grief and fear about losing them, it was challenging to recall all they had celebrated and endured as parents of a large, Catholic family. From my childhood perspective, the stares, the barrage of questions, “Are they all yours? Are there twins?” and the exclamations of, “You must be a saint!” were embarrassing reminders that we would never slip in and out of church or the grocery store unnoticed.
For our parents’ part, they moved through the admonitions and anguish of the world undeterred, rejoicing in God’s blessings and the trials life presented. They worked hard with a single-hearted purpose: to instruct us in the faith, to pray with us and for us, and to inoculate us from the snares of wolves.
When we were tempted or hurt, our parents gently or not-so-gently reminded us to trust and persevere in discerning God’s plans for our lives and to live as though we were “in the world but not of the world.” As old age crept in and death loomed, they mourned leaving us but opened their hearts and surrendered to the will of the Father.
In life’s most difficult moments, when the world exhorts us and our spirits are drained, when death is near, and our faith is tested, may we remember that our Father is always with us and that when we endure to the end, we will be saved.
Jesus, you warned your apostles that they would suffer for your sake. And you counseled them to be shrewd, but simple, too. Maybe you wanted them to use the intelligence God gave them, but also to keep their hearts open.
And maybe it is the same with us. Lord Jesus, grant us knowledge and prudence during our moments of testing or temptation. But also keep our hearts open to the inspiration of your Holy Spirit. And give us patience and perseverance amid conflict and division, that we may be ready when you come again. Amen.
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Fr. Lou DelFra, CSC
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Veronica Alonzo
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Lisa Orchen
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We welcome you to submit your prayers for yourself and others. A volunteer will offer them on your behalf at the Grotto, where a candle representing all prayer requests remains perpetually lit.
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