IF THEY PERSECUTE YOU

PRAYER MOMENT                          

Friday 11 July 2014     St Benedict

IF THEY PERSECUTE YOU

Pause. Recall that you are in the presence of God.

Reading: “If they persecute you in one town, take refuge in the next.” (Matt 10:16-23)

Reflection. Jesus is instructing his newly chosen apostles and telling them what to expect. His words describe what happened to Paul in his missionary journeys in Asia Minor. The early Christians discovered, almost with relish, that persecution was  a sign of the authenticity of the gospel. Where there is no opposition there is no growth. It seems the human condition requires struggle in order to flourish. In the reading from Hosea for today there are poetic images of growth: “he shall bloom like the lily and thrust out roots like the popar… he will have the beauty of the the olive and the fragrance of Lebanon. … Let the wise understand these words.” (Hos 14:2-20). The French pilot and poet, Antoine de St Exupery, wrote of “man measuring himself against the obstacle.” In the week of the Wimbledon and World Cup finals we can reflect how, for each of us, glory means struggle.

Prayer. Lord Jesus, as you entered your Passion you said “Now is the Son of Man glorified.” Let us see in our own struggles the raw material for growth and glory. Amen.

David Harold-Barry SJ