How many of us have either family and friends who have lapsed in their faith or are of a different religion or belief? How many of these have either kept their distance or who are antagonistic towards us simply because of our faith in Jesus? How many have encouraged us to leave our faith or tried to use our faith against us?
What are we to do? First and foremost we need to acknowledge Jesus as our sovereign Lord. Above all and above all things. No one can ever love us more than He. We need to grow in our faith and love. We must learn that we can bear all burdens and suffering for His yoke is easy and we bear not alone. We must be forgiving, loving and seek to serve Him by serving our brethren. Only then, by the way we lead our lives, with Him, through Him and in Him can we hope to bring our family, friends and all who would listen into faith.
Lord Jesus be our light and our guide as we take up our cross and follow You. Amen
GOSPEL
Matthew 10:34C11:1
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter–in–law against her mother–in–law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household.
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple– amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”
When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.
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