Friday of week 14 in Ordinary Time
Hosea 14:2-10
Psalm 50(51):3-4,8-9,12-14,17
Matthew 10:16-23
The imperative of safeguarding oneself from harm and peril cannot be overstated. In the face of danger, individuals are inclined to prioritize self-preservation above basic provisions.
Consequently, when tasked by Jesus to embark on a mission akin to sending sheep amidst wolves, his disciples likely grappled with trepidation.
Such an assignment would have understandably elicited discomfort, as few would willingly expose themselves to peril akin to sheep braving a wolf-infested terrain.
Nonetheless, Jesus’s counsel for his followers to embody the dual essence of serpents’ shrewdness and doves’ harmlessness (Matt. 10:16) underscored the need to exercise astuteness in perceiving danger while avoiding succumbing to it.
During tempestuous phases in life, marked by relentless tumult, did you find a sense of solace in God’s reassuring presence, urging you to place your trust in Him? Are you attuned to the subtle nudges of the Holy Spirit as you navigate life’s convolutions and disarray? Moreover, how can you extend support to others grappling with adversity?
Let us, collectively, choose to rely on God during turbulent times, and as we do so, may we also nurture optimistic anticipation, anchored in faith and hope, of a future reunion with God, culminating in everlasting serenity and bliss. Amen.
Fr Joseph Osho
