Memorial of Saint Bonaventure
Today's Scriptures remind me of a long-time friend of mine. No matter where she is or who she's with, she truly flaunts her Christianity. Though we often disagree on matters and methods, it's hard not to admire her fearlessness when it comes to verbally expressing her faith in every situation. Of course, she endures her share of rejection and hurt. But my friend really expects rejection in the world as much as she expects God's help to make it through. She always says, 'with God's help', just as Psalm 124 says, "Our help is in the name of the Lord".
In the reading from Exodus, God allows the Israelites to flourish despite intense oppression and the murderous efforts of Pharaoh. In the Gospel, Jesus tells his apostles the conditions of discipleship:"I have come to bring not peace but the sword" and "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it". How does one respond to this? No matter our reaction to these challenges, the Responsorial Psalm is the answer: "Our help is in the name of the Lord".
It's easy to say our faith is strong when life is going well. It's easy to wear our faith on our sleeve when we are in the company of fellow disciples. But what of situations where we find ourselves timid and less than eager to verbally express our Christianity? What about times when life's challenges threaten to overwhelm us? Most important, how would things be different if we just made a habit of saying "Our help is in the name of the Lord"?
Gail Lyman