13-07-24 Nama Baik vs Nama Tuhan: Siapkah Kita Mengorbankannya?

Saturday 14th week in ordinary time "Mt 10:24-33" A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master; it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Be-elzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household...Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell...So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. If they have called God Beelzebub... what will not be said about His disciples? But Our Lord says, "do not fear them." All the saints have had to defend our Faith against persecutions of different kinds. We should also be ready to do whatever it takes to defend God and our Faith. It may take effort sometimes; it may take courage at times; it may require lots of things but we should be ready to give whatever is necessary in order to make the Name of Our Lord known everywhere. During the beginnings of Opus Dei St Josemaría suffered the misunderstandings of certain people. It didn't take long for a full-blown campaign of rumours and even calumnies to start. Those were days of great suffering. All these slanders took their toll on him: he found it difficult to forget about them and to fall asleep at night. In a letter to his bishop, he had written, "I don't have any tears left for crying." One night, exasperated with a heavy workload and wagging gossiping tongues, he couldn't take it anymore. He went to the oratory in the middle of the night, knelt before the Tabernacle and said, "Lord, if you don't need my good name, what should I want it for?" Then, leaving things in God's hands, he peacefully went back to bed. After having given up everything else, he also gave up his good name. Let's be ready to offer even our good name to acknowledge His Good Name. Let's be bold like so many saints and martyrs who went throughout the world preaching the Gospel. Holy Mary, Queen of Martyrs, intercede for us so that we are ready to acknowledge your Son today in any circumstance of the environment where God wants us to be.