Saint Teresa of Jesus
Lk 12: 8-12
“And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Acknowledging God before the world
Throughout history, we have stories of martyrs who have accepted death rather than renouncing their faith in God. While we may not be asked to make such a dramatic confession of faith, we do have daily opportunities to choose whether to acknowledge or deny God before others. We choose our answer when we respond to an invitation to Sunday brunch at the same time as we’re planning to go to Mass. We decide whether to keep ashes on our foreheads throughout Ash Wednesday or wash them off. We make a decision about how to respond to Jesus in the form of a homeless person standing at a freeway offramp.
How is your confession of faith in God shared with the world through your words and actions?
—Jesuit Prayer team
Prayer
Lord, sometimes it is easy for me to share my faith in you with others, and sometimes I may prefer to keep it hidden. Give me the courage to always be faithful to the Gospel, so as to share my faith, and the Good News, with others. Amen.
—Jesuit Prayer team