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.
—Matthew 10:16-23
The peace of the Lord be with you. The words of the Gospel today are chilling and alarming. Jesus is warning his disciples about the trials they will face as his followers. Even today there are those followers who face persecution and death for living out their faith. Most of us will not have to face threats of this magnitude but we will have challenges. We have challenges now and in terms of Covid-19 there does not seem to be an end on the immediate horizon. Jesus reminds us to endure to the end, to rely on his strength and his grace.
Today may God grant us the grace to live each moment as it comes mindful that we have him and each other. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.