31 October 2013
Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
If we remain with Jesus, as a humble follower ought, we have nothing to fear in this world. As Jesus has said, “…do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both…” (Mt. 10:28) If we rely upon the Lord for everything, we shall lack nothing, lose nothing; humility consists in permitting the Lord to, literally, be Lord: to be our everything.
It should come as little surprise that there would be resistance from the kings already in power, such as Herod. But ours is no mere mortal king, but an Eternal One; what power on Earth could resist Him forever? Ours is a King risen from the dead; who could defeat Him? This is what Jesus reminds His people of today: I shall be victorious; be not afraid!
He does not say this to be haughty, to look with disdain on those who resist Him; rather He laments the fact that there will be casualties. Never forget to pray and to labor intensely for those who resist the Lord, for it is His heart’s desire to save all people, to gather them under the wings of His all-embracing love. Yet a day will come, He says, when even those who resist Him will see Him and cry out! We recall that the very people who shouted “Hosanna!” would later shout “Crucify Him!”
As we labor alongside our Lord in building His Kingdom, let us strive to bring His love to each person, even those who resist Him. Let us fight humbly and persistently for every soul, out of gratitude and love for the One who fought for us first. If we strive to do all things out of love for Christ, we cannot fail.