Over the last few weeks, I know that I have been preaching more and more about the state of the world and how opposed it is currently to the Church and the tenets of our faith. It seems so deaf to the message of the Gospel. And, at times, it might even seem as though there are some in the Church who are so stringently opposed to the teachings of our faith. In our Gospel this morning, Jesus tells us how we should respond to these times.

When it comes to dealing with the secular world, the Lord tells us to be prudent and discerning…He says to be as “shrewd as serpents.” We need to be able to know what the world is saying, what teachings it is standing against. We need to know when we have to respond and how we are called to respond. That might just mean praying for a particular situation or it could mean taking a more active role in fighting against something.

We need to be ready to react, to be prepared to defend our faith. But what should we be armed with? Jesus tells us that childlike simplicity, being as “simple as doves,” will keep us safe from the world’s wolves. In order to embrace that simplicity, we must have a strong relationship with Jesus that is built on a deep trust of Him. We must have a firm understanding of what our faith teaches, which means reading the Catechism and having an understanding of Sacred Scripture. But we must also have docility to the Spirit, being submissive to how He is calling us to respond. We cannot do this without the Holy Spirit, we cannot be disciples of Jesus, we cannot go out and be the voice of truth in the world without the Spirit. As the Gospel today says, the Spirit is the one who will speak and act through us.

A time is coming and many might argue that it is, in fact, already here when our faith will be demanded of us. We must share the Gospel. We must speak the Truth. We must point others to Jesus. The fate of the world, the fate of the next two or three generations depends on us responding to this responsibility that Jesus gives to us today. How are we going to respond? Are we preparing for battle? Are we strengthening our defenses? Are we allowing the Spirit to guide us?

We – you, me, the Church – we have some catching up to do. The world is stealing away our future generations at a frighteningly rapid pace. If we don’t respond now, before we know it, it will be too late. So today, let’s ask the Lord to give us the courage to stand up and for the wisdom and prudence to know how we are being called to defend our faith.

Photo: “Bound Peace” by Nowshad Arefin. Used under Unsplash license.