July 11, 2025 // Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 10:16-23
Reflect on the Word //
Today is my mother’s birthday. She’s an incredible mom. Not just because she was great when I was young, but because she is great now. She has managed to bend and shift with the inevitable changes of my life, and meet them. She takes on the rides to and fro for my kids when she can, she takes my little ones on a regular basis to give me a breather, she's cheerful and available and willing. And she's taught me much about how I hope to be when my kids are grown with their own babies. I see this is her evangelism, and I know she does too.
You see, it doesn’t stop. It doesn’t stop when we reach a certain age, or if we live in a certain place, or even if we have (or don’t have) certain gifts. Evangelism is the heart of Christian love, and it’s always a part of us, no matter where we are. The question is—are we looking for it right where we are?
When I was young I was so inspired by missionaries to far off places. But in a way, it held me back. As if my outward Christian life couldn’t begin until I was doing something big. That was evangelism and the Christian life in my mind. But this is not the message of our faith or our God. Fueled with the fruit of the Holy Spirit, we are called to evangelize right where we are. In our friendships, in our workplaces, in our classrooms, in our homes. This is the mission field for us, and we have been sent. While we might be intimidated to share the love of God, Jesus promises us, “You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matthew 10:19-20).
So, go. Go forward, cast your nets into the deep, and till the soil you’ve been given. Christ, the Lord, is at your side. At the sink and the stove, the crib and the carpool, the office and the email. Go.
Relate to the Lord // Where will you “go” with the Lord today?
Blythe Fike is the wife of Kirby and mother of eleven smallish kids in small town SoCal. She firmly believes sanctity is found in the everyday and is trying hard to live that truth, despite her countless fumbles. She enjoys sunshine in heavy doses, good music, and babysitters. She is a contributing author to our children’s devotional prayer book, Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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