July 10, 2026 // Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 10:16-23
Reflect on the Word //
My brother called me in a panic. “I hate it here,” he said with desperation in his voice. For a man prone to depression, moving clear across the country and living in near isolation was taking its toll. For the better part of an hour, I let him sob into the phone without the slightest clue as to how I could help.
“Pray with him,” my husband gently whispered to me.
But I couldn’t. He was an atheist, after all. I was certain that my request would be immediately denied.
Still, I followed the nudge.
“Would you like to pray?” I sheepishly asked. To my surprise, he agreed, but not without making his atheistic beliefs clear to me first.
The truth is that this story doesn’t conclude with cinematic fireworks. My brother didn’t have a spiritual awakening or “come to Jesus” moment. He simply said yes to my invitation, and that was enough.
We are warned in today’s Gospel that we “will be hated by all because of [His] name” (Matthew 10:22). Rejection is part of the Christian life, and that truth can be scary—so much so that we often end up ignoring the little nudges God places on our heart. We slink back when we know we should be bold in prayer or stay silent in the face of wrongdoing.
Though scary, the beauty of leaning into God’s prompting is that we will never do it alone. The Holy Spirit, Who dwells within us, will guide us along the way. We see this in Matthew 10:19, when Jesus says, “Do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say.” In those moments when we are willing to speak up, God takes our fear of rejection and replaces it with His presence.
I wonder, sister, what nudges have you been ignoring in your life for fear of rejection?
Lean into them.
He will guide your way.
Relate to the Lord // Pray for courage to respond to the little promptings of the Holy Spirit today.
