Commentary on the Gospel of

Fr. Johnson Joseph Thurackal CMF

God sent Jacob to Egypt with a promise: ‘do not be afraid… I myself will go down with you to Egypt.’ God went ahead of him and blessed him with peace and prosperity in Egypt. Jacob experienced a God who is faithful to His promises. Jesus sent his disciples with the same promise of accompaniment and protection in their mission. Trusting in the promise of Jesus the disciples went forth and experienced the Spirit of the Father guiding them and strengthening them. Can there be joy in following Christ and suffering for Him? To follow Jesus is not a route to popularity and influence. It leads to life on the run. Expect persecutions from all sides. Civil authority which is there to protect your life and liberty may itself persecute you. Even our own family and relatives will disown us.

In spite of that we are happy because we are suffering for witnessing Christ. And Christ will continue to strengthen us inwardly through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Our sufferings will bear fruit, there will be also many to accept our message. At the same time, we should be on guard. Christ wants other people to hear the gospel. Hence, we should keep ourselves safe so that we can minister to many people. The mission of the disciples to bear witness to Christ today is full of challenges. Jesus promises his Holy Spirit to be our friend and counsellor who will make us prudent and courageous. Living for God is challenging but God who is faithful to His promises enable us to stand firm to the end.

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