I love confrontation. That’s probably strange to read since most people would rather run away or divert any sort of confrontation from arising. Whenever I see a situation that I don’t agree with, I’m quick to bring attention to it. My husband, however, likes to keep the peace and avoids confrontation at all cost. He really gives thought to a misunderstanding and finds the right words to say, instead of quickly reacting and probably saying something he doesn’t mean. (Like I, so often, am guilty of.)
The responsorial psalm today reminded me of this contrast between my husband and I. “Kindness and truth shall meet.” We are all called to bear witness to the truths of our faith, even in circumstances that may make us uncomfortable. However, we must profess these truths with kindness and love of neighbor. Jesus was never afraid to call out our sin, but he did so because he wants each of his children to be with Him forever in Heaven. So, it must be our same goal to be today’s apostles and lead others to the truth for the betterment of their soul.
Being apostles isn’t an easy job. If it was, I’d imagine there would be more than 12. When Jesus preached His hardest teaching, the crowds left Him and all He had were His 12 apostles and a few loyal followers. If Jesus were here today, would we still be following Him? Or would we walk away when one of His teachings was too hard for us to live out?
We must stand firm in the truths of our faith and preach them to others by the way we live our lives and the way we treat others. The Catholic church recognizes today as the day of prayer for the legal protection of unborn children. As Catholics, we are called to be advocates for these innocent children. This is a hard teaching for some, but it is a central truth of our faith. Have we prayed for these children? Have we participated in 40 days for life? Have we not said anything in a group of friends when they have differing views on the protection of unborn children? We must use our voices and our actions in all of the Church’s teachings to be today’s apostles.
Let us remember we have the grace to stand firm in truth and press forward in becoming an apostle Jesus would be proud of.
“Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.”
