Luke has just finished recounting five fights the religious leaders had with Jesus. They got upset with Jesus over the observance of the sabbath, fasting, the company He kept, and claiming authority to forgive sins. At the end of round five, the religious leaders "became frenzied and began asking one another what could be done to Jesus" (Lk 6:11).
Natural responses to a barrage of complaints and accusations are disturbance, fear, resentment, and/or withdrawal. Instead, Jesus responded by "spending the night in communion with God" (Lk 6:12), selecting the twelve apostles (Lk 6:13), and healing the sick (Lk 6:19). We should respond to a barrage of conflicts in the same way Jesus did. We must not be perturbed, but remain calm so that we "will be able to pray" (1 Pt 4:7).
When we're going through the agony in the garden, we must take a long time to pray. We should also select others to support us in prayer, even if this exposes us to further rejection. Finally, we should forget about our own hurts and, although wounded, reach out to heal others.
| PRAYER: | Jesus, give me the grace to make a supernatural response to conflicts. |
| PROMISE: | "You have been washed, consecrated, justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." –1 Cor 6:11 |
| PRAISE: | St. Peter Claver was so moved to reach out to black slaves that he used pictures to bridge the language barrier to teach them about Christ. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College