In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells his apostles and us: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword.” What is this “sword” that our Lord speaks of? The “sword” is none other than the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. It is “the word of God that is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Saint Paul wrote: “Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. . . take. . . the SWORD of the SPIRIT, which is the WORD of GOD” (Ephesians 6:11-17).
Over the past week, we have listened to the Gospel accounts of Jesus sending out his disciples in pairs to proclaim that “the kingdom of God is at hand” (Luke 10:1-12, 17-20; Matthew 10:7-15). Jesus “summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. . . [telling them:] As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand'" (Matthew 10:1-7). Moreover, Christ himself “went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness” (9:32-38). We are called to proclaim the kingdom of God in our own lives, here and now.
Our Lord warns us of the costs to us of proclaiming the word of God, saying: “Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. . .” (10:16-23). And, as we heard in today’s Gospel, proclaiming the word of God will “set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's enemies will be those of his household.” However, Jesus promises us this if we come and follow him above all else in our lives: “. . .whoever endures to the end will be saved” and “[whoever] finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (10:16-23; 10:34-11:1).
Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin, who courageously proclaimed the word of God even if it meant being shunned by her own people. “[Moved] by the words of three [Jesuit missionaries], Tekakwitha. . . at 19 finally got the courage to take the step of converting. She was baptized with the name Kateri–Catherine–on Easter Sunday. [She] would be treated as a slave. Because she would not work on Sunday, Kateri received no food that day. . . She was always in danger, for her conversion and holy life created great opposition. [So, on] the advice of a priest, Kateri stole away one night and began a 200-mile walking journey to a Christian Indian village. . . [where] she grew in holiness under the direction of a priest. . . giving herself totally to God in long hours of prayer, in charity, and in strenuous penance. At 23, Kateri took a vow of virginity. . . Kateri Tekakwitha died the afternoon before Holy Thursday. . . She was beatified in 1980 and canonized in 2012” (Franciscan Media, 7/10/2025).
May we follow the example of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha and boldly proclaim the word of God and not count the costs for our reward will be in heaven.
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