Saturday September 7, 2024

“When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we respond gently.” (1 Corinthians 4:12)

Good News Reflection for:

Saturday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time
September 7, 2024

Today’s Readings:

1 Corinthians 4:6-15
Psalm 145:17-21
Luke 6:1-5
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090724.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-september-7-2024

How to remain unfazed by those who persecute us

Paul’s message to the Corinthians is hard to live out. How did he do it? How did he bless when ridiculed? How did he remain gentle when slandered?

This is something we need to get a better handle on, especially now as we who are Catholic Christians become increasingly counter-cultural. I don’t need to tell you, my friend, how the world is changing, becoming more anti-Christian, more immoral, more unethical — more insane.

Ordinary, “good” people have been spreading the satanic belief that good is evil and evil is good. In this environment, have you tried speak the truth about sin instead of hiding your counter-cultural beliefs? What happens when you do? I think you and I both know what Saint Paul meant when he said, “We have become like the world’s rubbish, the scum of all” (1 Corinthians 4:13). How did this not bother him?

The Pharisees, who thought Jesus was scum, persecuted him (in today’s Gospel reading) with: “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?

Jesus stated, after giving a very brief Bible lesson (“Have you not read what David did… ?”), very confidently: “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”

Would you say that Jesus was outspoken despite the trouble it got him into? When he entered into a dark situation, did he shed his light onto it? Uh-huh (I hear you nodding your head). And has he changed? Of course not.

Okay. Next question: Is Jesus living in you?

Yes? Great! Okay, then why would Jesus stop being outspoken, now that he’s in you?

This takes me back to my original question: How did Saint Paul do it? How can we bless when ridiculed? How can we remain gentle when slandered? 

Remaining unfazed by the reactions of non-believers takes conscience effort and soul-work. It requires reliance on the Holy Spirit. It requires turning to God when someone accuses us of being wrong, asking him: “And what do YOU think about me, Lord?”

It’s an attitude — a God-first mindset. It means that God is the first one we talk at the start of each day and we continually turn our minds toward him throughout the day. It means making a habit of asking him, “And what do YOU think, Lord? It’s only YOUR opinion that really matters” — especially when we’re persecuted.

It’s a frame of mind that humbly admits when we have sinned and we genuinely want to become holier. And it’s a hunger to learn more about God and more about the teachings of Christ from Scripture and from the Church — a hunger that is never quenched because we are never satisfied with how much we understand at this moment.

This means being in a state of constant prayer, which opens us to hear Jesus talking to us. Prayer opens us to receive from the Holy Spirit whatever graces we need when we’re persecuted. It puts us safely into the lap of God our Doting Daddy who envelops us with peace.

Our vocal prayers are just the tip of the iceberg. Constant prayer is everything underneath it in the ocean of our love for Christ. It’s an attitude of being connected to God even when we’re not consciously saying the words of prayer. When we have this kind of foundation for our lives, the Holy Spirit gives us the words of Christ to speak boldly to others and the calmness of Christ to handle the backlash.

© 2024 by Terry A. Modica

P.S. Good News Ministries has prayers you can use in your fight against evil; visit gnm.org/prayers/#victory.

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