July 12 2024: Bible Verse of the Day: Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time – I Am Sending You Like Sheep in the Midst of Wolves – Matthew 10:16-23
Jesus said to his Apostles:
16 “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues,
22 You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
23 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.” – Matthew 10:16-23
Catholic Readings For Today
Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year 2
Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year 1
Today’s Bible Verse of the Day Reflections
Jesus says to us today, “You will be hated by all because of my name.” This is a very true statement that was said by Jesus 2000 years ago and it is still very relevant and fresh even today.
Jesus is very candid to us that in order to serve Him, we will have to lose almost everything that this world offers.
This world offers us fun, short-lived comfort and pseudo-love. Many people feel that they cannot do without worldly pleasures and if you tell them to leave that they will hate and abandon you.
The reason why Jesus tells us to lose everything on this earth is because He is the only thing that matters. God created us so that we can know, love, serve, praise and glorify Him all the time.
Now, imagine after your creation you forget the very purpose you were created then immerse yourself into earthly pleasures and sin. Imagine how God feels about you!
Let me give an analogy! Imagine that you are a boss of a company. You officially sponsor and send your staff for an exhibition abroad where they are to market your company’s products.
But instead of doing just that, they change their itinerary and go on holiday and merry-making. Afterward you send the HR official to the place to beg them to go back to work, but instead of doing so, they send him back home. What would you do to them when they come back? Your guess is as good as mine!
This exactly the same situation God finds Himself in. In the Old Testament, God used to destroy the people like during Noah’s time and Sodom and Gomorrah.
In the New Testament God sent His Son Jesus Christ to start proclaiming the Good News to us so that we may not face the wrath of God on the last day.
God decided not to condemn us before we understood the sole purpose why we were created, and also to make sure we understand the consequences of not fulfilling this purpose.
This is why Jesus is calling upon us to make sure we continue preaching to the people why God created us and what He wants of us. Just to emphasize this point, God wants us to Know Him, Love Him, Serve Him, Praise and Glorify Him.
Those of us who now understand why we were created, should continue preaching to those who do not yet know this purpose.
Jesus promises us that if we continue with this work He has commanded us to do without faltering, we will be saved from God’s wrath on the last day.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, I now understand why I was created and brought here on earth. Use me to proclaim Your Holy Gospel of love and service to God and my neighbour to all the people. May I help other people to know their very purpose of existence and so that they may come back to You. Jesus, I love you. Amen
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