Friday, July 10, 2020 - 14th week of Ordinary Time - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 10, 16-23 - When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will lead you into all truth and make you remember all that I have said to you.

Christian brothers and sisters! Jesus continues the recommendations for the apostles sent on mission: what they should do and what they should expect. Their task will be very difficult, it requires their preparation to face and overcome all fears and anxieties. These recommendations come to us as Church on mission, so we must receive them and live them in our mission. So there are two things that strengthen the hearts and minds of the apostles in what awaits them and what awaits us as well :

First, being a witness in the world. A world where sheep and wolves live side by side. We are sent to the centre of them. It is not easy to give witness in such a setting, especially when it is we, who are sent to bear witness, who take the leaven from these environments. We must therefore remain constantly vigilant but also honest.

Secondly, total trust in the One who sends us by the Holy Spirit accompanies us every day. Jesus has already defined our present reality: conflict in many forms. Without any distinction of kinship or friendship, we kill each other, we accuse each other, we condemn each other. It is a situation to which we are sent. Moreover, with this outbreak of Covid-19, the situation is getting worse, the split is even more flagrant. Jesus recommends that we keep confidence even in persecution, it is the Holy Spirit who will speak for us. Persecution is unavoidable, but it must never be an obstacle to our mission.