Posted on 07/09/2026 10:42:08 PM PDT by fidelis
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.” Matthew 10:16–18
No one is naturally drawn to persecution. We flee from it. We are made for communion with one another. In Heaven, and in the New Heavens and New Earth at the end of time, our eternal experience will be of peace, unity, and solidarity with all as we jointly gaze upon and adore the Beatific Vision of the King of the Universe.
Today, however, the kingdom of darkness retains a great hold on this fallen world. War, violence, injustice, and divisions of every kind affect families, communities, and nations because hostility is much easier to achieve than the peace and harmony that Christ seeks to establish through the inauguration of His Kingdom.
One of the surest ways to avoid persecution is to stand for nothing. Those who hold no moral convictions or remain silent about the truths of the faith are unlikely to draw the world’s wrath. But those who speak with clarity and charity about the eternal truths of the Gospel often find themselves the object of rejection.
This was the reality for which Jesus was preparing the Twelve Apostles. Today’s Gospel comes from a lengthy exhortation Jesus delivered to His Twelve as He was sending them out two by two to proclaim the arrival of the Kingdom of God. They were to go forth with courage, rely on divine providence, perform miracles, and prepare the various towns and villages to which they were sent for Jesus’ coming.
At first, one might think that entering a Jewish town to share the good news that the Messiah had arrived—and was soon coming to them in person—would be met with much rejoicing. However, that’s not the reality for which Jesus prepared them. He offers a striking image, saying He is sending the Twelve “like sheep in the midst of wolves.” This evokes both the innocence they were to embody and the hostility they would inevitably face. As sheep, they were to act with meekness, vulnerability, and complete dependence on the Good Shepherd’s providence.
Today, as our Lord sends us forth to proclaim the Gospel within our families, communities, and world, we should expect nothing other than what the Twelve encountered. For example, those who uphold the Church’s moral teachings publicly often provoke strong resistance. Even proclaiming that salvation is found solely through Jesus Christ can lead to hostility. The accusation is frequently made that such beliefs are intolerant or judgmental, when in truth they are rooted in love and fidelity to God’s revelation—and in genuine concern for the good of every soul.
Reflect today on whether you are willing to endure hardship for the sake of Christ. Is your heart prepared to speak the truth in love and to receive rejection with peace? Pray for the grace to imitate the Apostles, who went forth not in fear but in trust. Resolve to bring the light of the Gospel into a dark and hostile world with shrewdness, simplicity, fidelity, courage, and meekness, knowing that the Good Shepherd will guide and protect you always, when you act in accord with His perfect will for the mission on which you are sent.
Most glorious King, You came to establish Your Kingdom on earth in preparation for the Eternal Kingdom to come. Please send me forth to prepare the way for Your coming—into the hearts of my family and friends, into the wider community, and into every place where You call me to bear witness in the world. May I act with the shrewdness of serpents and the gentleness of doves, with wisdom and humility, as I seek to prepare the way for Your Kingdom of truth and love. Jesus, I trust in You.
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Today’s First Reading
From: Hosea 14:2-10 (New American Bible)
Or: Hosea 14:1-9 (Revised Standard Version & New Vulgate)
Call to Conversion
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[1] Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. [2] Take with you words and return to the LORD; say to him, “Take away all iniquity; accept that which is good and we will render the fruit of our lips. [3] Assyria shall not save us, we will not ride upon horses; and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands. In thee the orphan finds mercy.”
[4] I will heal their faithlessness, I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. [5] I will be as the dew to Israel; he shall blossom as the lily, he shall strike root as the poplar; [6] his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive and his fragrance like Lebanon. [7] They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow, they shall flourish as a garden; they shall blossom as the vine, their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon. [8] O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress from me comes your fruit.
A Word to the Wise
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[9] Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.
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Commentary:
14:1-8. The last oracle follows the pattern of the whole book: the denunciation of Israel’s infidelity is followed by a blessing from the Lord. This. happened in the episode, from Hosea’s personal life at the start of the book (1:2-2:1), in the central poems (2:2-23), and in the first part of the oracles (4:1-11:11). The novelty of this oracle lies in the fact that previously salvation and forgiveness were offered by the Lord spontaneously and generously without Israel’s being asked for anything; whereas here (vv. 1-3) the prophet entreats Israel to be converted so that God may heal her unfaithfulness (v. 4).
In the oracle, both the prophet (vv. 1-3) and the Lord (vv. 4-8) speak. The words of the prophet are a call to conversion. (v. 1) and a prayer proper to a penitential liturgy (vv. 2-3) in which the sins of Israel are expressly mentioned--reliance on foreign pacts rather than on the Lord, and revering man-made idols as if they were God.
The Lord’s, words (vv. 4-8) benevolently offer the people reconciliation and a cure for their unfaithfulness. They speak of a golden age of love between the Lord and his people; all sorts of attractive imagery are used: the dew, the fragrance of Lebanon, the grain (note w) and the vine stand for the good things that the Lord, and not the Baals, bestows on the people; the Lord is depicted as a cypress, evergreen; that is, he is stable and enduring. So, the book’s conclusion is clear: since the Lord loves them so deeply there is nothing that the people can do but respond: "The love of the Beloved or, to put it better, the Beloved who is love, loves only love and faithfulness. Do not resist his love. Can we stop loving the one who is Love in person? Can, the one who is Love by his very nature be unloved?” (St Bernard, "In Cantica Canticorum", 83, 5).
14:9. The last verses of the book are a piece of wisdom writing. They are somewhat reminiscent of Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 107:43 and Proverbs 4:7. They invite us to read the book by applying its message to our own circumstances.
From: Matthew 10:16-23
Jesus' Instructions to the Apostles
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(Jesus said to His disciples,) [16] "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. [17] Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues, [18] and you will be dragged before governors and kings for My sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles. [19] When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; [20] for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. [21] Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; [22] and you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. [23] When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel, before the Son of Man comes."
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Commentary:
16-23. The instructions and warnings Jesus gives here apply right through the history of the Church. It is difficult for the world to understand the way of God. Sometimes there will be persecutions, sometimes indifference to the Gospel or failure to understand. Genuine commitment to Jesus always involves effort--which is not surprising, because Jesus Himself was a sign of contradiction; indeed, if that were not the experience of a Christian, he would have to ask himself whether he was not in fact a worldly person. There are certain worldly things a Christian cannot compromise about, no matter how much they are in fashion. Therefore, Christian life inevitably involves nonconformity with anything that goes against faith and morals (cf. Romans 12:2). It is not surprising that a Christian's life often involves choosing between heroism and treachery. Difficulties of this sort should not make us afraid: we are not alone, we can count on the powerful help of our Father God to give us strength and daring.
20. Here Jesus teaches the completely supernatural character of the witness He asks His disciples to bear. The documented accounts of a host of Christian martyrs prove that He has kept this promise: they bear eloquent witness to the serenity and wisdom of often uneducated people, some of them scarcely more than children.
The teaching contained in this verse provides the basis for the fortitude and confidence a Christian should have whenever he has to profess his faith in difficult situations. He will not be alone, for the Holy Spirit will give him words of divine wisdom.
23. In interpreting this text, the first thing is to reject the view of certain rationalists who argue that Jesus was convinced that soon He would come in glory and the world would come to an end. That interpretation is clearly at odds with many passages of the Gospel and the New Testament. Clearly, Jesus refers to Himself when He speaks of the "Son of Man", whose glory will be manifested in this way. The most cogent interpretation is that Jesus is referring here, primarily, to the historical event of the first Jewish war against Rome, which ended with the destruction of Jerusalem and of the temple in the year 70, and which led to the scattering of the Jewish people. But this event, which would occur a few years after Jesus' death, is an image or a prophetic symbol of the end of the world (cf. note on Matthew 24:1).
The coming of Christ in glory will happen at a time which God has not revealed. Uncertainty about the end of the world helps Christians and the Church to be ever-vigilant.
The Month of July is Dedicated to the Precious of Jesus
“They triumphed over the devil by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” (Revelation 12:11)
Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of July, 2026:
For respect for human life
Let us pray for the respect and protection of human life in all its stages, recognizing it as a gift from God.
I will be like the dew for Israel: he shall blossom like the lily; He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar, and put forth his shoots. His splendor shall be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar. Again they shall dwell in his shade and raise grain; They shall blossom like the vine, and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
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