Thirty-Third Friday in Ordinary Time

"Take and swallow it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey." I took the small scroll from the angel's hand and swallowed it. In my mouth it was like sweet honey, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then someone said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings."

Proclaiming the word of God promises to be both a sweet and sour experience. It is sweet because it brings with it the hope of victory over sin and death, but it is sour because it also promises suffering. Just as Jesus’ life was sweet and sour, so ours will be, too. The sweetness comes from being good and faithful servants, filled with God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace. It is a sweetness that can only be achieved by doing God’s Will without reservation. However, doing what is right can require a great deal of sacrifice from us. We might have to die for what we believe it. Proclaiming the Good News doesn’t always win us friends. It can cause us to be misunderstood and hated. It can turn friends and family into enemies. It can lead to others betraying us, just as Jesus was betrayed. The task God gives to us can bring much sorrow to our lives, but if we trust in Him, then we will discover the sacrifices we are asked to make will be worth it in the end.

Are we willing to do what must be done to proclaim the Good News in our lives? Are we willing to suffer the sourness that can come from choosing to follow God? How can we grow in spiritual sweetness and become good and faithful people?

O Lord, let us eat of the same bread and drink of the same cup as you did in your life.

Amen.