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In today’s Gospel, it is reported by the Disciples that other spiritual healers ( my words), other than the Disciples of Christ, are casting out demons in Jesus’s name, and they wanted such “healers” stopped. Jesus tells his Disciples, “No, do not stop them.”  “Whoever is for you, is not against you.”

I call Jesus’s response to his Disciples, PROPHECY.  Jesus knows how severe and widespread is the   hostility towards Him and His nearest and dearest followers. Jesus is aware of the impending “doom” that the Pharisees and Sadducees have designed for Him and anyone who is in His company.  Therefore, it is acceptable that some people have perhaps welcomed Jesus as opposed to rejecting Him.

Jesus understands that there are great numbers of people who reject Him and his Disciples and it is rare to find the contrary.  For anyone living a committed relationship to Jesus Christ, even today, it remains true, that such people encounter acceptance and rejection, and rejection is very often, more prevalent.

Just this week, we witnessed Pope Francis delivering a speech to the joint United States Congress.  While Pope Francis was received positively, there were also, right-winged conservatives who accused him of being anti-capitalist.

Jesus is being prophetic when he tells his Disciples, and those of us, that would join such company, that we can expect people being against us, as well as, for us.  We need to know that such is the Christian experience, and we need to be aware of this dynamic, especially, when engaged in ministry. What we understand, will determine how we negotiate our communications and interactions in the course of conducting our ministry.  Here again, we have only to look at Pope Francis!

There is always the possibility of being martyred as the followers of Christ discovered after the Resurrection, and as many a Saint experienced throughout the ages.

If it please God, let our Christian lives and ministries be so blessed as to allow us every Holy Freedom to spread the Good News!  Certainly, Pope Francis is an example of moving forward in Christ, in spite of every opposition, be it, within the Church, or from without! So, let it be with you!