Christ the Cornerstone

Whoever endures to the end will be saved

“When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Mt 10:19-20).

The publication date for this column is July 10, Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time. The Gospel reading for today is from Matthew Chapter 10, verses 16-23. It’s a familiar passage, and it has a particular importance for us in these challenging times.

St. Matthew tells us that Jesus admonishes his Apostles, “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans” (Mt 10:16-18).

What does this ominous warning mean for us? How should we interpret Jesus’ advice to be “shrewd as serpents and simple as doves” (Mt 10:16)?

I frequently observe that Catholic teaching is filled with “both/and” paradoxes. Following the example of Jesus, we resist being locked into either/or positions on important matters.

That’s why Church teaching can never be perfectly aligned with any political stance or party platform. It’s also why we are never completely comfortable with the labels “liberal” or “conservative.”

On some issues, the environment, for example, Catholic teaching can seem left of center; on others, such as abortion and euthanasia, Catholicism often appears to be right of center.

Our standard of measurement on all matters of faith and morality is not the prevailing ideology or politically correct opinions of the day. It is the teaching and example of Jesus Christ as we have received in sacred Scripture and in 2,000 years of Church teaching. This is the criterion on which we Catholics are supposed to make all significant decisions. It is the moral compass which must guide all our judgments and actions “in the world.”

Jesus’ warning that we must beware of those who would hand us over to secular leaders is deadly serious. There are those who regard the Gospel as bad news for humanity either because it is too naïve (the opiate of the masses) or too subversive (doctrines that undermine the reigning political agenda). In dealing with them, we must be both shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. We must be smart at the same time that we are honest.

Jesus predicts the betrayal and cruelty that are in store for those who follow him closely. “Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death” (Mt 10:21). Jesus describes himself as “meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29), but he also tells us—in no uncertain terms—that he has not come to bring peace but the sword of division. Jesus tells us, “You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved” (Mt 10:22).

These are serious warnings to be considered carefully as we confront the problem of evil as it manifests itself in our time. And yet, we know that Jesus is close to us, the source of all our hope and the fountain of lasting joy. He tells us, “When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speaks but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Mt 10:19-20). We will know the truth, and we can share it generously with others, not because of our own intelligence but because the Holy Spirit has come into our hearts with his gifts of wisdom, courage and compassion.

We can be both shrewd and simple because we trust in the Spirit of God to form our minds and hearts. We can overcome all forms of intolerance and injustice because we are witnesses to the One who sacrificed everything for our sins. His Spirit is our unfailing guide if only we let him speak for us on issues that truly matter.

When we fail to get it right, when we fall into the traps set for us by the Evil One, it’s usually because we aren’t listening to Jesus or letting his Spirit guide us.

Let’s pray for the grace to be shrewd as serpents yet simple as doves. Let’s follow Jesus who is both humble of heart and boldly courageous. †