14TH FRIDAY HOMILY OF ORDINARY TIME: YEAR A
14TH FRIDAY HOMILY OF ORDINARY TIME: YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: “BEHOLD, I AM SENDING YOU LIKE SHEEP IN THE MIDST OF WOLVES.”
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
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 people, 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.”
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In the Gospel yesterday, Jesus sends out His apostles on a mission. Aside from the instruction of not bringing with them anything valuable, Jesus also warns them of the risks and dangers their mission entails: “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves.”
To be a messenger of Jesus is not easy nor risk-free. The apostles have to be aware of this so that they do not have false expectations. He, then, gives them the advice: “So be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.” In the face of oppositions and dangers, the disciples must be prudent, careful and wise so that they will not be taken advantage of. But at the same time they must also be gentle, simple and humble. This is the only way that they can win over the hearts of all.
Sending them as sheep in the midst of wolves is really not about putting them in unnecessary danger, nor does the Lord want them to suffer. Rather, this is an opportunity for them to fully imitate and give witness to Jesus. Matthew uses a favorite Gospel expression: “hand over.” In the Gospel account today, this expression is used three times.
John the Baptist was ‘handed over’. Jesus himself was ‘handed over’ first to the leaders of his people and then to the Romans. His disciples are also ‘handed over’. And, in the Words of Institution in the Eucharist, Jesus ‘hands over’ to us His Body: “For this is my Body, which will be given up [‘tradetur’ – ‘handed over’] for you.” In other words, sending them like sheep in the midst of wolves means being ‘handed over’ to give glorious witness to Jesus. In that way, they are able to imitate and closely follow the Lord.
Moreover, despite all the dangers and difficulties they are to endure, they should not balk and waver, for the Lord assures them of His help and protection. In fact, He promises the active involvement of the Spirit of the Father in their mission: “For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” This is a reminder to them that they have to rely, not on their own resources but trust only in the help and protection from God.
The Lord further warns them of the effect of the message they are to preach. Division and conflicts even within families may take place as a result of the radical and fundamental commitment it demands. That is why, they “will be hated by all because of my name.” This can be very difficult to understand and accept: how can following Jesus bring about such hostility and hatred? This simply illustrates the fact that there will always be opposition and even violent reactions to the Word of God.
So, persecutions are expected to ensue. When this unfortunately happens, Jesus advises them: “When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.” He does not tell them to willingly seek out persecutions or expose themselves to danger. Instead, He tells them to flee, not out of fear but that is what prudence dictates. They have to take care of their safety and well-being because there is a lot of work to be done. There are still many other places they are to evangelize. In fact, the rapid spread of the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire is partly owed to Christians fleeing from persecution. There comes a time, though, when they can run no further, or when it is clear they have to take a stand and refuse to compromise. Then, that is when they valiantly give witness to Christ even to the point of self-sacrifice.
These are all the things that every follower of Christ is expected to face and undergo. Until now, the hatred of the world towards the Gospel of Christ has all the more intensified. Persecutions against its messengers may have taken a different mode, but persecutions nonetheless. Yet that is not enough reason for us as followers of Christ to stop proclaiming the Gospel. After all, this is Christ’s mission, not ours. We are only His unworthy instruments.
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