Reflection for Saturday July 11 Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot: Matthew 10:24-33

Gospel: Matthew 10:24-33

(Jesus said to the twelve Apostles) “No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!  “Therefore do not be afraid of them.

Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. 

Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

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Reflection:

The story is told of a dying man who rarely attended Holy Mass and was very much afraid to die. When his relatives told him that they would call a priest to administer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, he asked them, “Am I going to die already?”

To make a long story short, the priest arrived and administered the sacrament. After the priest left, the dying man told his relatives, “Now I am prepared to die.” He went from being afraid of death to facing it with peace and courage because Jesus had strengthened him through the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. In that sacred encounter, he discovered that the Lord does not merely prepare us for death—He prepares us for eternal life.

Are we not afraid to die? Many of us are. But why do we fear death? Perhaps it is because we have not yet fully encountered Jesus or allowed Him to become the center of our lives. When our hearts remain attached only to the things of this world, death can seem frightening because it appears to take everything away. But when we truly know and follow Jesus, we begin to see death not as the end, but as the doorway to everlasting life with Him.

When Jesus becomes the foundation of our lives, He fills us with the courage to face whatever trials may come. We are no longer afraid to look earthly death in the face because we know that our hope rests not in this passing world but in God's promise of eternal life. Christ has conquered sin and death, and those who belong to Him can face the future with confidence, trusting that He will never abandon us.

Each day is an invitation for us to draw closer to Jesus, to receive His grace through the sacraments, and to live in faithful obedience to His will. As we walk with Him day by day, He gradually replaces our fear with His peace, our uncertainty with hope, and our weakness with His strength.

If the Lord were to call us today, could we honestly say, “Now we are prepared”? Are we living each day in such a way that we are ready to meet Jesus with joyful hearts, confident that our lives have been rooted in His love and faithfully lived for His glory?– Marino J. Dasmarinas