Today, we celebrate the memorial of St. Bonaventure, a great bishop, servant of God and one of the Doctors of the Church for his many contributions, writings and works. Saint Bonaventure once said; “In all your deeds and words you should look upon this Jesus as your model. Do so whether you are walking or keeping silence, or speaking, whether you are alone or with others. He is perfect, and thus you will be not only irreprehensible, but praiseworthy.” ― St. Bonaventure
In our first reading today, Judah is compared with the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. God was not happy that he Southern kingdom of Judah has fallen into the same hypocrisy as the Northern kingdom of Israel.
The Scriptures reminded us that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, were infamous for their debauchery, sinful ways and wickedness. Their refusal to repent or change their wicked ways, their stubborn attitudes, led to their destruction with great fires and brimstone by God.
In the Gospel passage today, (Matthew 10: 34-11:1) Jesus revealed his mission which was contrary to the expectation of his listeners. At that time of Jesus, the Jews were waiting with great anticipation the coming of a Messiah who would restore the glorious days of King David, leading the people of God to freedom and glory once more, bringing an era of peace, harmony and prosperity.
But Jesus told his Apostles “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace by the sword.” By saying that He came into this world not to bring peace and rejoicing, unlike what many of them would have thought, Jesus is setting the stage for what is to come. He has come not to bring them freedom from slavery, political freedom, but freedom from sin and death.
But Jesus’s mission is unique and different, there will be opposition, challenges, and rejection from the world that is filled with sin, darkness and evil. This rejection will be felt in the family and household.
Following is challenging but also rewarding. Those called must see his mission as a vocation and not a job. “There is a difference between a call from within and a call from outside: it is the difference between vocation and ambition. Ambition comes from self, vocation from something outside and larger than the self” (Viktor Frankl). Jesus promised to those who follow him wholeheartedly true happiness and the fullness of grace in God. Saint Bonaventure added: “The highest good can only be beheld by those who are very pure in spirit and can only be tasted when the passions are as they should be. This is why Saint Augustine prays: “O Lord, let me taste in my will what I know in my mind, and feel through love what I grasp through awareness.”
Have a wonderful Week!
