A Courageous and Steadfast Faith
October 14th Readings Reflection: Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Gospel occurs after some of the Jewish leaders suspected Jesus of casting out demons in the name of Beelzebub, the “chief of the devils” (Lk 11:14 DRB). In the passage that we hear in today’s Gospel, “a woman from the crowd called out and said to [Jesus], ‘Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.’” St. Bede praised this woman for her courage in proclaiming Christ’s Incarnation in the midst of the unbelievers who were accusing Jesus of working with the devil. In adding to the woman’s declaration of blessedness, Jesus gave a blessing to all “those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
Like the woman in this passage, we are surrounded by those who do not believe in Jesus or even in God. Oftentimes, the world is hostile toward those of us who openly confess our faith in Christ and uphold the Truth. However, as Bishop Barron wrote last autumn, “God’s love is more powerful than any of the weapons of the empires of the world, from crosses to nuclear bombs…. [T]here is no chaining the Word of God!” (source)
Just as the world hated Our Lord when He walked this earth, so too will it continue to hate His followers (see Jn 15:18). There will continue to be wars, persecutions, and oppression of those who profess the Catholic Faith until the end of the world. Only when Christ comes again will the world experience the peace for which we long. In the meantime, we are not alone, for Jesus has promised to be with us always, “even to the consummation of the world” (Mt 28:20). Even when it seems as though the whole world is against us, we must always hold fast to the Truth found in Jesus Christ and the unchanging teachings of the Catholic Church.
Jesus Himself instructed us to be courageous in our Faith: “[F]ear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt 10:28). The reward for remaining steadfast in our Faith is eternal life. May we draw inspiration from the countless martyrs who have given their lives for the Faith, and may we always pray for the grace to remain courageous and steadfast in our Faith, no matter what happens in the world, trusting that we will one day be richly rewarded in Heaven.
More than ever we must have courage to remain strong in our faith, in the truth and will of the Holy Spirit! It means being in the minority, not in the 'in crowd', one of the popular. It means being different and not ashamed but knowing and being secure that we are with the right group because we are first with God!
Who painted the "Death of St. Stephen" image you have at the end? I tried to find it on Google images but I couldn't. Thanks