One’s enemies will be those of his household

Ex 1,8-14.22; Ps 123; Mt 10,34-11,1
15 JULY

Jesus reminds his disciples that the world lies under the power of corruption and death. If we do not let ourselves be saved by him, if we do not enter his Gospel and if we do not obey his Word, there is no liberation from the power of evil. Only Jesus Christ frees from evil and one lives free only if he abides in him. He abides in him if he stays in his Word, without ever leaving it. The prophecy of Micah, which Jesus makes his own, reveals to us the universality of evil. Only the Lord can be trusted and nobody else. Those who are not fearful of God do not know the limits of evil and abandon themselves to it. There are moments in history where it seems that Satan is the one and only ruler of hearts.

Alas! I am as when the fruit is gathered, as when the vines have been gleaned; There is no cluster to eat, no early fig that I crave. The faithful are gone from the earth, among men the upright are no more! They all lie in wait to shed blood, each one ensnares the other. Their hands succeed at evil; the prince makes demands, The judge is had for a price, The great man speaks as he pleases, The best of them is like a brier, the most upright like a thorn hedge. The day announced by your watchmen! your punishment has come; now is the time of your confusion. Put no trust in a friend, have no confidence in a companion; Against her who lies in your bosom guard the portals of your mouth. For the son dishonours his father, the daughter rises up against her mother, The daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man’s enemies are those of his household. But as for me, I will look to the Lord, I will put my trust in God my saviour; my God will hear me! (Mi 7,1-7).

Who are the first to not believe in Christ the Lord? His relatives. Who are the declared enemies of Jesus who want his death at any cost? Those of his house, those of his people. They are scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, chief priests and elders of the people. Who condemned Jesus to death? The high priest, the highest authority existing in the people of God. He condemned him in the name of God, of whom he was a servant. He condemned his God in the name of the God he served. This is the power of darkness.

After this, Jesus moved about within Galilee; but he did not wish to travel in Judea, because the Jews were trying to kill him. So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. No one works in secret if he wants to be known publicly. If you do these things, manifest yourself to the world.” For his brothers did not believe in him (Cf. Jn 7,1-10). So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” So from that day on they planned to kill him (Cf. Jn 11,47-53).

The disciple must always act with the utmost prudence. Every man, even a very close family member, could turn out to be his enemy, one that could prevent him from announcing the kingdom with betrayal and condemnation to death. It is a witnessed truth. Let who does good to the missionaries of Jesus, know that he will not lose his reward. Never.

“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.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, make us prudent, wise, intelligent on the model of Jesus.