Friday July 10th

Wolves in Snow (Canus Lupus) - Royalty-free Wolf Stock Photo

Behold I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves

When my mother was a young girl she lived on a farm in a small town named Lublin, Wisconsin. My grandfather with the help of neighbors built the small farmhouse. At night as she was trying to sleep she and her sister would hear the lonely call of wolves in the distance. He and my Ciocia [Aunt] Sophia would shiver and were frighted at the sound. Even as adults the two of them remembered their eerie call. It was scary, because of the stories they heard of what wolves did to livestock and people. Neither one of them ever forgot the sound.

Today Jesus in today’s Gospel says, Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.

Jesus’s word are a warning but also a promise. He also says, do not worry about how you are to say, for it will not be you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Is Jesus trying to scare us or give us comfort? What is He promising?

In truth, it is some of both. There will be pitfalls and evil things that happen in our lives, but the Holy Spirit will be there to guide you. Saint Paul speaks of keeping your eye on the prize and running the race. The end to a worldly person is not the end to God.

Those wolves have not won. Sin has not won. Even though we sin and have other gods in our lives. God still loves us freely. However, He wants us to repent and depend on Him.

In our first reading from Hosea which says, We shall say no more , ‘Our god’,to the work of our hands; for in you the orphan finds compassion. I will heal their defection, says the Lord, I will love them freely.

In both passages the scripture is saying don’t depend on your own efforts. It is God’s efforts through the Holy Spirit that get you through the wolves. God loves us even though we sin and turn from Him with other god’s. The god and idols that each of us have in our lives as sinners are wolves waiting to destroy us.

God’s intentions are clear. He is always ready to take us back.

We can prosper spiritually by turning from sin and realizing that our prosperity only comes from our dependence on God.

Hosea further writes, Let him who is wise understand these things; let him who is prudent know them, Straight are the paths of the Lord, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them.

God will love us freely, forgive our sins and all we have to do is recognize the gods in our life and repent. We have many wolves in our life and some are of our own making. Jesus has sent His Spirit to our life and all we have to do is depend on Him and the Spirit will lead.

God Love You Always

Bob Burford

About the Author

My name is Bob Burford and am married to my lovely bride, Anna. I am a cradle Catholic and worship at Church of Saint Mary's in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I am active in the Knights of Columbus and praying where the Lord wants both of us to serve in our new faith home. College degrees in Economics and Accounting. My wife and I have eight grandchildren and six great grandchildren. Love Pope Frances and proclaiming the Word of the Lord in my life! Please pray for all the Ukrainian people. Pray for their salvation and physical and emotional health.

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9 Comments

  1. Thank you,Bob, for your reflective insight on today’s readings.May God continue to love us freely and forgive our addictive sins. Amen!
    God bless you!

  2. Wolves ready to consume us…its tough out there. Listen to the Spirit , make straight your paths. Thank you Bob.

  4. Hello Bob,

    I always appreciate your reflections, something is always felt, gained or clarified. However, the piece of your writing that always gets to me is your closing, “God Love You Always”. Today especially, it felt like an incredible hug. Thank you for that as well as for your reflections.
    God Love You Always,
    N Rollins

  5. God bless you, Bob! May the Holy spirit help us to recognize the wolves in our lives (especially those of our making) and make amends.

  7. Thanks Bob, I really appreciate your insight.
    I might add one thing that in spoken in the Eucharist prayer at Mass. ” Look not upon our sins but on the faith of Your church”.
    Lord knows how many wolves are in my life and yes, some of my own making – especially in my thoughts.
    Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.
    Bob, one verse of this Gospel I have trouble understanding is when Jesus says
    “Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
    before the Son of Man comes.”
    Could you or anyone else shed some light on this verse? TIA

  8. Some thoughts to share:

    With today’s reading we come to the end of the Book of Hosea who pleads with Israel to repent and return to God. And God says that one day He’ll heal their waywardness and love them freely. God goes on to describe this new healed Israel as a bountiful tree that will grow deep roots and broad branches and offer shade and fruit to all of the nations – an image of God’s promise to Abraham – how Israel will become a blessing to the nations.

    In the Gospel reading Jesus is predicting the persecution of the Church. There are numerous martyrs starting with St. Stephen who gave up their lives for the Gospel. Jesus tells the Apostles to be shrewd and astute as a serpent, but be gentle and innocent as a dove in spreading his word. He tells them not to fear, that the Spirit will guide them in what to say. Today, even more we need the Spirit to sustain us, guide us and prompt us especially in leading our children and young adults away from the wolves preying on them.

    Skip in regard to your question, I too needed clarity and this is what I’ve come across http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/Matthew_Gospel/Matthew_Lesson_14.htm
    Matthew 10:23 ~ When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

    This verse suggests an eschatological (eschatology is the study of what Scripture teaches about the end times. Eschatology reminds Christians that this world isn’t our home and to look beyond what is presently happening for heaven, where they will be with Christ and the saints forever.) interpretation of verse 22. Jesus assures them that they will not have completed their mission to the children of Israel before He comes in glory. This is probably a reference to His glorious Resurrection, but it has also been interpreted by Biblical scholars as referring to the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the judgment on the Old Covenant Church and Jerusalem in 70 AD that resulted in the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem that was prophesied by Jesus (Mt 24:1-22).

  9. Some thoughts to share:
    With today’s reading we come to the end of the Book of Hosea who pleads with Israel to repent and return to God. And God says that one day He’ll heal their waywardness and love them freely. God goes on to describe this new healed Israel as a bountiful tree that will grow deep roots and broad branches and offer shade and fruit to all of the nations – an image of God’s promise to Abraham – how Israel will become a blessing to the nations.
    In the Gospel reading Jesus is predicting the persecution of the Church. There are numerous martyrs starting with St. Stephen who gave up their lives for the Gospel. Jesus tells the Apostles to be shrewd and astute as a serpent, but be gentle and innocent as a dove in spreading his word. He tells them not to fear, that the Spirit will guide them in what to say. Today, even more we need the Spirit to sustain us, guide us and prompt us especially in leading our children and young adults away from the wolves preying on them.
    Skip in regard to your question, I too needed clarity and this is what I’ve come across http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/Matthew_Gospel/Matthew_Lesson_14.htm
    Matthew 10:23 ~ When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
    This verse suggests an eschatological (eschatology is the study of what Scripture teaches about the end times. Eschatology reminds Christians that this world isn’t our home and to look beyond what is presently happening for heaven, where they will be with Christ and the saints forever.) interpretation of verse 22. Jesus assures them that they will not have completed their mission to the children of Israel before He comes in glory. This is probably a reference to His glorious Resurrection, but it has also been interpreted by Biblical scholars as referring to the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the judgment on the Old Covenant Church and Jerusalem in 70 AD that resulted in the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem that was prophesied by Jesus (Mt 24:1-22).

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