St. Bonaventure, bishop  & doctor 

***1st Reading***   Ex 1:8–14, 22

 Then a new king who had not known Joseph came to power and said to his people, The Israelites are more numerous and stronger than we are.

Let us deal warily with them lest they increase still more and,   in case of war, side with our enemy, fight against us and escape from the land. So they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor.  In that way they built the storage towns of Pithom and Rameses.

But the more they oppressed the Hebrews the more they increased and spread, until the Egyptians dreaded the Israelites and became ruthless in making them work. They made life bitter for them in hard labor with bricks and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields. In all their work the Egyptians treated them harshly.

Pharaoh then gave this order to all the people: Every infant boy born to the Hebrews must be thrown into the Nile, but every girl may live.”

 

**** Gospel ****

Mt 10:34—11:1

  “Do not think that I have come to establish peace on earth.  I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father and daughter against her mother;     a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Each one will have as enemies those of one’s own family.

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take up his cross and come after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life, for my sake, will find it.

Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes him who sent me. The one who welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive the reward of a prophet; the one who welcomes a just man because he is a just man will receive the reward of a just man. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, because he is a disciple of mine, I assure you,    he will not go unrewarded.”

When Jesus had finished giving his twelve disciples these instructions, he went on from there to teach and to proclaim his message in their towns.

 

Reflection gospel:

“TAKE UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOW ME.”

Donald Senior, professor of New Testament studies at the Catholic Theological Union, defined discipleship as “taking up the cross” and following Jesus.

But why taking up the cross? Probable, this is the ultimate test of discipleship – being ready to endure suffering and to loose life as consequent possibilities of loving Jesus and loving all that he loves. To suffer and to loose one’s life hit the core of human existence. The call of Jesus is radical in nature. It requires much because it gives all.

The Trappist monk in the movie “Of Gods and Men” did not abandon their monastery and the Muslim community where they live in spite of the threat to their lives. They could have easily evaded execution but chose not to. They were murdered in Algeria in 1996 by Muslim extremists. Taking up the cross means, in their case, loosing their life for the hungry and the sick. Our circumstances might be different from theirs. However, taking up the cross presents itself in various forms. We only have to be attentive to the Spirit to discern what it asks.