Our Lord forewarned his apostles that the message (Matthew 10:26-33) they were to preach would not be acceptable to all. It would mean persecution, and even death, for them. He gave them reassurance through the words; “Do not be afraid……”, and , “….. anyone who declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven”. He asked them to preach the Gospel in season and out of season.
In New Zealand, it is unlikely that we will face martyrdom for our faith. Nevertheless, Our Lord’s words are still relevant to us, for the environment we live in is also hostile to the faith – and it is precisely in this environment that we are asked to bear witness to Our Lord. How well we do so may be found in the answers to questions like:
Are our actions and thoughts guided by Our Lord’s teachings that our very being declares to the world who we are? How do we feel about being a Christian in the environment we live and work?. Do people even know that we are Christians/Catholics.
God Bless Fr Michael
P/s See you next Sunday!
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