Live In Love

We all want to follow our hearts and do what we love, but doing that comes with a cost doesn’t it? The young person that chooses to be an art major rather than a business major might disappoint their parents, but honestly what would the world be without art? The missionary that chooses to live the rest of their days in Africa might never live the “American Dream”, but healing the sick, raising the dead, and cleansing lepers should be the American Dream. The mom that chooses to stay home with her kids over her career might receive judgment from colleagues and her bank account may suffer, but her family will be impacted in such a way that makes the sacrifice worth it. We are used to making choices that may in fact disturb the waters. We are used to following our hearts on things, or at least we desire to follow our hearts, knowing that not everyone will be happy with us in doing so. In today’s gospel Jesus tells us that following him comes with a certain cost, but like a world without art, a world without enthusiastic and committed disciples is flat and passionless.  

I just had the privilege of spending time at my friend’s summer camp and the word she chose for the summer was “transformation.” She also knows that when you choose a word like transformation, it comes with a cost, because the enemy is going to work very hard to prevent such a thing. We prayed with dozens of people that were caught on the fence of choosing wellness or choosing to stay stuck in the familiarity of un-wellness. The sword that Jesus mentions in today’s gospel is the very weapon that can cut out those voices that discourage us from choosing to live in love. Discipleship is a choice to live in the promise of God, to live in the peace that is the presence of Christ, and to live in the movement of the Holy Spirit. When we place these things at the core of our being and when we choose to love the way God loves above all other things, then and only then can we truly follow our hearts for it is God that populates it. 

When God populates our heart, there will be forces set against us, and it can seem like the cost is too high, however, the rewards of stewarding the gospel and a life lived in love are beyond measure. I want to follow my heart in all that I do because God dwells there and He is calling me to be a disciple of love. I want Jesus to say about me, “because she is a disciple – amen, I say to you, she will not lose her reward.” Live in love today. It is well with my soul. 

Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 389

Reading 1 EX 1:8-14, 22

A new king, who knew nothing of Joseph, came to power in Egypt.
He said to his subjects, "Look how numerous and powerful
the people of the children of Israel are growing, more so than we ourselves!
Come, let us deal shrewdly with them to stop their increase;
otherwise, in time of war they too may join our enemies
to fight against us, and so leave our country."

Accordingly, taskmasters were set over the children of Israel
to oppress them with forced labor.
Thus they had to build for Pharaoh
the supply cities of Pithom and Raamses.
Yet the more they were oppressed,
the more they multiplied and spread.
The Egyptians, then, dreaded the children of Israel
and reduced them to cruel slavery,
making life bitter for them with hard work in mortar and brick
and all kinds of field work—the whole cruel fate of slaves.

Pharaoh then commanded all his subjects,
"Throw into the river every boy that is born to the Hebrews,
but you may let all the girls live."

Responsorial Psalm PS 124:1B-3, 4-6, 7-8

R.(8a) Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Had not the LORD been with us–
let Israel say, had not the LORD been with us–
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive,
When their fury was inflamed against us. 
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept 
the raging waters.
Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us
a prey to their teeth. 
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord. 
We were rescued like a bird 
from the fowlers' snare;
Broken was the snare, 
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.

Alleluia MT 5:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 10:34—11:1

Jesus said to his Apostles:
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
For I have come to set
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one's enemies will be those of his household.

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

"Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet's reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous 
will receive a righteous man's reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple–
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward."

When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,
he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.