Today's Gospel

The Service Test

Welcome back to Radical and Relevant. Today's reading is from John's Gospel 15:26-16:4. "But when the counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness to me. And you also are witnesses because you have been with me from the beginning. I have said all this to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do this because they have not known the Father nor me. But I've said these things to you that when the hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them."

What word, phrase, or idea jumped out at you today? The one that jumped out at me, the idea that jumped out at me is Jesus says, "Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God." Of course, that hour has come and gone many, many times throughout history where people have killed Christians, have killed Catholics, and believed they were doing service to God or doing the will of God. And tragically, no doubt that that hour will come again. But take kills out of that sentence. The sentence is, "The hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he's offering service to God."

Take kills out and change it with so many other words. Hour is coming when whoever demeans you, gossips about you, assassinates your character, leaves you out, neglects you, rejects you. It doesn't have to be a total death for the idea not to apply. There's an amazing amount of things that people do that are mean, cruel, harsh, brutal, dehumanizing, and they do them believing that they're doing them in the service of God. And let's not fall into that. Let's be mindful. Let's examine. Anytime we think we're doing something in the service of God, if it is demeaning another person, hurting another person, dehumanizing another person, let's check ourselves. Take another look at that. Have an amazing day. Remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.