***
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
Father Walter Ciszek’s prison transfers becoming unexpected opportunities to celebrate Mass and teach others to pray vividly illustrate how persecution can spread the Gospel rather than silence it. The reflection also gives practical weight to being “shrewd as serpents and simple as doves,” since endurance requires both discernment and trust. That balance of courage and careful navigation also came to mind while reading Subnautica 2 Blog.
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