Homily for Friday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time

In today's Gospel passage, Jesus is truthful about the kind of welcome we may receive when we share our faith. The response may be hostile, and that may even come from those to whom we are the closest. However, Jesus tells us that we will not be alone in facing this kind of rejection; The Holy Spirit will be present to give us guidance and support. 

It may be true that contemporary society is not as hostile to the faith as when Jesus commissioned the first disciples. Yet, we know that Gospel values are often rejected in today's culture. Some people interpret those values as a threat, especially to human freedom.  

We need the Holy Spirit today, as did the first disciples if we are to give witness to the LORD and His mission. We need the Holy Spirit to inspire us. The Church depends on the Holy Spirit today, just as it always has, and God's Spirit is just as available to us today as He was in the earliest days of the Church because its mission remains the same.+