Fourteenth Monday of Ordinary Time

When Jesus arrived at the official's house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, he said, "Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping. "And they ridiculed him. When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl arose.

Sometimes when we try to help others or to do the right thing, others ridicule us and make us feel like we are doing something wrong. However, when we are faced with the opportunity to act out of love or mercy, we should not let the chance pass by because of what others think. All we can do in this life is to try to think, speak, and act like Jesus. We are called to be God-bearers just as Mary was in her life. When faced with ridicule, we must put the crowd out of our minds and do the right thing. In this way, we can raise the spirits of those whom we help and gain even more glory for God by doing it in spite of what others might think, say, or do to us because of it.

Who are the people who ridicule our faith? Do we let them keep us from doing the right thing? How can we be more Christ-like even in the face of opposition?

O Lord, help us to ignore the ridicule of others and act in accord with your will.

Amen.