Saturday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
A tall tree must have deep roots lest it be toppled over by the blustery winds that batter it. So too an apostle of the Lord must be profoundly planted in Christ Jesus in order to respond to persecutions and difficulties with grace.
In the first reading today, St. Paul recounts how, in setting out to preach the Gospel, he and the other apostles became “as the last of all, like people sentenced to death.” They were held in disrepute by many, accounted as fools, roughly treated, ridiculed, and persecuted among the other difficulties of hunger, hard toils, and poverty. Yet, in response to all of these tribulations, St. Paul and the other apostles blessed their persecutors, endured the hardships, and reacted gently to all. Like sturdy trees with deep roots, they had their lives planted firmly in Jesus Christ.
Likewise, in the Gospel account today, the disciples of Jesus suffered persecution from the Pharisees, who accused the apostles of sinfully breaking the law of the sabbath rest. What the Pharisees did not understand is that, for the apostles at that time, Jesus was only circumstantially dispensing the lesser good of the sabbath law for the sake of a higher good, namely, that of having the appropriate sustenance for their life and mission as apostles. Still, from the perspective of the apostles, the criticism hurled at them by the Pharisees must have stung. But, the apostles could bear the affront with grace because they had drawn close to Christ Jesus and planted their lives in him.
In our day, we are sent out by the Lord to proclaim the Gospel, each in our own way according to our specific vocation. And, just as the first apostles suffered hardships, so too we will encounter difficulties on the way. But, if we, like sturdy trees, remain deeply rooted and planted in the Lord’s strength, we too can bear all joyfully for the sake of Christ Jesus and the Gospel.