The difficult teaching we are going to explore together today was a lot easier to live ten years ago and, given the direction our culture is moving in, this teaching is going to be increasingly difficult to live with every passing day. 

This is the teaching from Jesus:

“Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10: 32-33)

While there are rising challenges to living our faith publicly, it’s important to remember that we are not the first to face such times. There were many times in the Church’s long history that it was dangerous to be Catholic. 

That was definitely the case for Saints Marian and James. The Catholic faith was literally a death sentence under Emperor Diocletian’s rule in Rome.

Neither saint held high offices in the Church. James was a deacon and Marian was a lector. But they refused to hide their belief in Jesus when asked. They always acknowledged him, and continued to do so after they were arrested and tortured. Ultimately, they acknowledged Jesus to the end, and were martyred.

These stories of the early martyrs are especially compelling now, in a time when our lives may not be endangered but our ability to openly acknowledge Jesus is threatened. 

We will be tested on this teaching. The landscape here in the United States has shifted dramatically over the past ten years, and it is now more acceptable than any other time in our nation’s history to be anti-Christian. Today things are said about Christians in the mainstream media that would never be said about other faiths. And while we shouldn’t try to be pessimistic, there do seem to be signs that things will likely get much worse in the coming years. 

And so, the question becomes, are we willing, ready, and able to acknowledge Jesus? If we are willing, that getting ready, preparation, is essential to being able when the moment presents itself. 

Preparation is essential. If you need to think it through in the moment, you will miss the moment. You need to prepare for the moment, whether it is at a dinner party or a public setting, at work or with family and friends. You cannot predict what it will look like, who will say what, but you can predict what your position will be and how you will voice your belief. 

Will you be ready to acknowledge Jesus when the time comes?

Feast Day: May 6

Feast Day Shared By: Saint John Before the Latin Gate