Fr Kevin Kilgore

***

Gospel: 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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Father Walter Ciszek, S.J., spent twenty-three years in Soviet prison camps after being falsely accused of being a spy.

In his memoir, With God in Russia, Ciszek describes the horrific rigors of daily life, how prisoners lived under constant surveillance, worked inhumane hours, were tortured, and faced the constant threat of death. 

Determined to break him, Soviet officers drugged him, beat him, interrogated him, and occasionally, moved him from one camp to another.

Little did the guards realize that every time they moved Father Walter from one prison to another, they were helping to stretch the kingdom of God.

***

Everywhere he went, Father Walter celebrated Mass under the cover of darkness, led retreats, taught prisoners how to pray, and even baptized once hardened criminals. He was like a light shining in the darkness. 

All of this came as no surprise to him. Jesus predicted it would happen in today’s Gospel.

“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves,” he says. “Men 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.” 

***

What happened to Father Walter also happened to the first Christians. 

When they were persecuted in one town, they fled to the next. Doing so caused the Gospel to spread further and further, until it reached the ends of the world.

***

So, what does this mean for us?

The Gospel can spread under every conceivable circumstance, even in labor camps, public floggings, and kangaroo courts. If it can spread there, then it can also spread around us.

Regardless of what our circumstances may be in this moment – whether we’re filled with blessings or in dire need of grace – the Gospel can spread through us.

Much of that potential is determined by our own attitude, and how responsive we are to the Spirit. As one Saint once said, “Give me only your love and your grace. That is enough for me.” 

Father Walter Ciszek, pray for us.

***

***

Image credits: (1) Fables of Aesop (2) America Magazine (3) Suscipe, St. Ignatius of Loyola, Pinterest

***

Gospel: Matthew 10: 7-15

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words–
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

We’re all familiar with the old saying, “There are two sides to every story.”

Such is the case in today’s Gospel. Jesus sends his disciples out to preach and to cure with the added instruction, “Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or a walking stick.”

It seems like the Lord is stripping them bare, as if they must fend for themselves in a hostile world like lambs among wolves. But the Lord is building upon a Jewish tradition, which the Apostles would’ve understood. 

In the ancient world, it is customary for people to part with their belongings such as a walking staff, shoes, and girdle of money, and to cleanse the dust from their feet before entering the Temple to pray. 

They were to address God “unburdened.” Afterwards, people would gather their belongings and re-enter the world.

***

By instructing his disciples to part with their things before going out into the world to preach and heal, Jesus is teaching them to treat the entire world – including every person they meet – as if it is within Temple.

Everyone is a potential dwelling place for God. As the Psalmist proclaims, “The earth is the LORD’S and its fullness, the world and all who dwell within it.”

***

But the other side of the story is this: if the disciples are going out into the world without a penny to their name, then they’ll need the support of brothers and sisters along the way.

While the Gospel should be preached free of charge, it is also an honor to care for those who preach it, which is why the Church emphasizes the need for charity.

This is particularly true of supporting religious orders like Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, who keep nothing but the Word of God, and depend entirely our support.

Perhaps this is what the Lord is asking of us today: to see the world as holy; to care for the poor; and to support those who preach the Gospel – not only in word but with their very lives.

***

***

Image credits: (1) Sunday Social (2) God in All Things (3) Shepherd Thoughts

***

Gospel: Matthew 10: 1-7

Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot
who betrayed Jesus.

Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
“Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Much can be said about the selection of the Twelve Apostles. Why were these men chosen? What was it about each of them that elicited Christ’s calling? And when standing shoulder to shoulder, what did the Apostles think about each other?

***

It was an incredibly diverse group – so much so that without Christ as their shepherd, some of these men might’ve been bitter enemies. Perhaps that’s part of the point.

There was Peter, often the emboldened spokesperson at the center of it all. John, the Beloved Disciple, the youngest and perhaps most idealistic. Judas, the treasurer turned betrayer. And so on.

But there were two Apostles, in particular, who were polar opposites, Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot.

Jews hated paying taxes to Rome. They wanted their own sovereignty, government, and land. The idea that Matthew, a Jew, would work in cahoots with the Romans was inconceivable to people like Simon.

Simon was likely part of a patriotic movement known as the “Zealots,” who were willing to go to extreme measures, even violence, to fight for Jewish independence. Thus, to him, Matthew would’ve been someone who was “sleeping with the enemy.” 

***

Yet Jesus was able to bring all of these men together, setting aside their differences, uniting them under a single purpose: the salvation of souls. It not only speaks to the Lord’s leadership, but also the docility of these men who were open to change.

We still need God’s Spirit to unite us under the bosom of Mother Church today, with the successor of Peter at the very center. Are we not reminded of this after the recent, and necessary, excommunication of the Society of Saint Pius X?

***

May the Apostles intercede for us, that we would band together with the same courage, humility, and willingness to change for the salvation of souls.

***

***

Image credits: (1) Our Sunday Visitor (2) Christ Giving the Keys to Saint Peter, Peter Paul Rubens (3) Crossroads Initiative