Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.” (Matthew 10:16)
Some may be tempted to think that meekness has to come with a lack of awareness of the evils in this world. On the contrary, Our meek Lord tells His disciples directly that they will face being arrested, being tortured, being brought before courts, etc. Jesus prepares the apostles beforehand so that the evils of the world and the difficulties they face will not distract them from their goal: Christ’s meek disciples are to bear witness to Him. These disciples are to be shrewd, not naive. These disciples are to be aware of the tactics, attempted coercion, and ill-will they will face. And yet, in the face of all of that, these disciples are not to respond in the manner of those who persecute them (i.e., with anger, power games, and insincerity), but rather in the manner of the God to whom they are to bear witness (i.e., with gentle firmness, a disinterest towards gaining the worldly upper-hand, and honesty).
On Fridays, the Church continues to recall Our meek Lord who was arrested, tortured, and brought before courts. We recall the gentle firmness of His replies to those who questioned Him. We recall that Christ showed no desire for having the power of a worldly kingdom, not even for the sake of self-preservation. We recall the truth which Christ is and to which His deeds bore witness. May Christ who paired meekness with shrewdness as well as simplicity teach us not to close our eyes to the difficulties we face, but rather to open our eyes all the more that we may see how in the midst of trials we may bear Him witness.