Acts 2028-36 / John 17:11-19
In the gospel of Matthew 10:16, Jesus said, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves."
In just one sentence, there are three types of animals, each of different characteristics.
The sheep listens to the voice of the shepherd. So if Jesus sends us out only to be surrounded by fierce and raging wolves, then we also must remember that we are not alone.
Because the Shepherd will be with his sheep, and so we are assured that Jesus will be with us even though we are surrounded by the wolves.
The wolf is the biblical symbol of the persecutor, and St. Paul said in the 1st reading that when he had gone, fierce wolves will invade the Christian community and will have no mercy on the flock.
But in the face of these fierce and raging wolves, whether they are from without or even from within, we need to be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves.
We need to be wise enough to know that Jesus is watching over the Church and that the Church teaches the truth instead of being swayed by the travesty of truth by individuals or groups who want to induce us to follow them.
We also need to be humble and docile to the promptings of the Holy Spirit who is our Advocate and who will help us follow the truth and walk the way of Jesus.
Let us pray that we, the Church, will be always protected by our Good Shepherd and that we will listen to His voice in the Church so that He will lead us to rest in the green pastures even in the midst of the howling of the fierce wolves.