Second Saturday of Ordinary Time

Jesus came with his disciples into the house. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

Sometimes when we answer one of God’s calls, people think we are out of our minds. They see us praying, almsgiving, fasting, volunteering, or giving up something else for God and they think we’re crazy. Why would we want to give up our time, talents, and treasures to pursue something intangible? But just like Jesus, we need to be willing to stand up for what we believe in and be willing to put up with the ridicule and bewilderment of those who do not believe as we do. We are meant to be signs of contradiction to the world and sometimes that means that certain people will misunderstand and even oppose us. However, we must not be afraid to suffer the persecution of others. Instead, we should focus on doing God’s Will to the best of our abilities.

What is God calling us to do? What will we need to sacrifice in order to do it? Are we willing to be persecuted in order to accomplish God’s Will?

O Lord, grant us the strength to persevere in the midst of our trials.

Amen.