14th Friday in Ordinary time, Feast of St Kateri Tekakwitha, July 14, 2023
Gn 46:1-7, 28-30; Ps 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40; Mt 10:16-23
It’s hard for us to imagine how tough the apostles had it. After all, we can hardly function when our cell phone batteries go dead. “Ugh,” we cry, “Now I have to go find a charger and I’ll be disconnected from the world until it charges back up.” How awful we have it. And then, Jesus tells the disciples, “I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves.” I don’t know about you, but putting defenseless sheep in a pack of wolves will probably not have a very good outcome. But Jesus assures them they will be taken care of. The Spirit of the Father will be with them and will give them the words to say.
On the feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, we celebrate a young, courageous women who, at a very young age, put all her trust in Christ to protect her and keep her safe. Born of a Mohawk warrior and Christian mother, Kateri faced many odds in becoming a Christian. After her parents and family were wiped out by smallpox, she went to live with her uncle, a chieftain. However, she suffered much hostility in her town for being a Christian and refused to marry into the tribe. Instead, she fled to St. Francis Xavier of Sault St. Louis, a haven of Native American Catholics near Montreal. It is there she lived out the remaining, but short, rest of her life. She died at the age of 24 on April 17, 1680. Word of her passing was expressed across Canada and New York with one simple sentence, “The saint is dead.” Her reputation for saintliness spread across the lands, and soon, miracles were attributed to her. She was canonized by Pope Benedict on October 21, 2012, and her feast day is today, July 14th.
Like the Apostles and modern-day saints like Kateri Tekakwitha, we, too, need to be bold. We, too, need to have the faith of our forefathers and not worry about what will happen to us. For if we persevere, the Holy Spirit will guide and protect us, giving us the words to say.
Our times are not much different than when the Apostles or St. Kateri Tekakwitha walked the earth. We, too, will be mocked, ridiculed, and persecuted for our faith. Keep strong and let the Holy Spirit guide you during these times. Only then will we persevere. While I do not envision walking into a den of wolves or will it on anyone, our world today is looking much like that. We just need to be ready and know the Holy Spirit will be there to guide us. As Jesus says, “You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end, will be saved.”
Saint James Catholic Church 