Thursday of 30th Week, Year II: reflection
Theme: Don’t allow threats from principalities and powers to suppress the voice of God in you.
Readings: Eph 6:10-20; Lk
13:31-35
Dear friends in Christ, in today’s
gospel reading, some pharisees cautioned Christ to leave their town because
Herod meant to harm Him. We do not know whether what those Pharisees did was motivated
by true fraternal love to protect their brother from harm or a ploy to silence
the evangelical voice that was condemning their evils. However, what is clear
is that Jesus gave a firm response that he would not be intimidated by threats
from anyone. He sent them back to tell Herod that nothing would stop him from
doing the work God the Father sent Him to do.
Dear friends, God sent us into
this world with a mission. Through our baptism and confirmation, He
commissioned and strengthened us for the mission to preach the Good News with
both words and actions, upholding the truth, denouncing evil wherever it is
seen, and correcting errors. The devil, whose kingdom is threatened by our mission,
has been fighting back. Sometimes he uses direct methods, such as confrontation,
accusations, insults, threats, and persecutions. Some other times he uses subtle
tactics, such as advice or discouragement from colleagues and friends. All are
aimed towards ensuring that we stopped carrying out our mission of depopulating
his kingdom.
In today’s gospel, Jesus demonstrated
that we should never succumb to both threats and subtle voices that try to
discourage us in our mission of saving the world from the hands of the evil
one.
In today’s first reading, St.
Paul reminded us that the mission given to us by God is not a simple one. It is
rather a fight against the principalities, powers, and rulers of this world of
darkness. If this battle is spiritual, we need spiritual weapons if we must win.
Thus, St Paul urged us to equip ourselves with the whole armour of God, which
includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of
peace on our feet, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God, and prayer of supplication with
perseverance. These are the spiritual weapons we need to combat the kingdom of
the evil one.
May God grant us His
protection as we depopulate the kingdom of the evil one. Amen.
Fr. Isaac Chima
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