A Reflection for Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Find today’s readings here.
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.
During the first week of August, my city will be home to hundreds of thousands, possibly a million young pilgrims. I have been dreading it.
Lisbon, a capital European city of 500,000 inhabitants, is already bursting with the many tourists that visit over the summer, and I cannot imagine how the city will handle additional people. On top of this, the organization of the event has been tarnished with mismanagement allegations and the “will he, won’t he” debate about the pope’s health and if he will be able to attend.
I am encouraged that hundreds of thousands of youth will for one week choose a less glamorous but rewarding path: the path to follow Jesus Christ.
In the Gospel today, Jesus does not sugarcoat how hard life can be—I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves. I can certainly understand why many do not view this as a very appealing invitation. Especially if you look at what the world is offering through the lens of Instagram—pristine beach vacations, flawless clothes, perfect homes. We are all being sold a constant stream of lies on what will make us truly happy and at peace. Even though this lie is pervasive and appealing, I am encouraged that hundreds of thousands of youth will for one week choose another far less glamorous but rewarding path: the path to follow Jesus Christ.
As I have stumbled living out my faith, knowing I am not alone but part of a body of believers of Christ has been a source of support and encouragement for me. I pray that during these five days, the pilgrims have an experience of community. An experience that will sustain them long after they leave and go back into a world that will “hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues.” I pray they have a genuine encounter with Jesus that will help them bravely confront this pervasive lie. I pray that God will give them the words to speak and the power to endure, to use their lives as a sacrifice to point others to Jesus. And finally, I pray that I will be a little less grouchy about all the visitors who will visit my beautiful and soon to be over crowded city.
