Matthew 10: 17-22
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Speaking God’s Words
Before every interview, I have a long-standing habit of saying to God: “I have done all I can. If this next step is your will for me, give me the words I need.” Whenever I was pursuing an opportunity that honored my unique gifts and passions, the words came easy and felt like they were not mine alone. Each time God’s voice and my voice spoke in harmony, even when I did not succeed in getting the opportunity I was pursuing, I felt one step closer to becoming the person I was created to be.
These days, I need God to give me the words as well as the courage to speak them in more situations than just interviews. Amidst all the present polarization, I long to speak just the right words to change hearts or promote unity. But do I really have enough courage to let the Lord speak through me? As Jesus says in today’s Gospel, speaking up for others will be difficult and at times painful. Still, his invitation is to consider the bigger picture: “You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”
—Gretchen Crowder is Campus Minister at Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas.
Prayer
Lord,
Help me to remember
what words can do:
They can hurt
They can invoke fear
They can divide
Help me to remember
what words can also do:
They can heal
They can invoke wonder
They can unite
It is so easy to bethe first kind of voice in this world.
But I know that is not who
I was created to be.
Speak through me, Lord,
So I am the second kind of voice instead.
Speak through all of us, Lord,
So that the voice of love will win.
Amen.
—Gretchen Crowder
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