St. Benedict
Readings:
Isaiah 6: 1-8
Matthew 10: 24-33
Reflection:
Isaiah responds to the questions ‘Whom shall I send? Who will be my messenger? He answers  ‘Here I am send me.’ It takes a lot of trust to make that answer with genuine intention, not knowing precisely what is being asked. I wonder if Isaiah had waited to know what he was being called to, if he would have responded so enthusiastically! Maybe there have been times when we have responded enthusiastically only to find the task too challenging and certainly only possible with the greater power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus reassures the disciples in the Gospel that they have no need to fear and that everything hidden will be made clear! Transparency is a much-discussed concept in church and in political circles yet it often eludes us in practice. These days we live with many conspiracy theories so that the truth of situations is often in doubt.
Collusion and manipulation of facts have no place in Gospel living. We have to pray and hope that the truth will ultimately be revealed and believe in the truth that we are ‘worth more than hundreds of sparrows.’ With that assurance then let us be ready to say ‘here I am, send me.’
St Benedict, whose feast we celebrate today was a bearer of truth though not without opposition in his time. He trusted in the Master and remained faithful to the call with the testimony of time to affirm his rule of life which has influenced monastic life up to the present.
Sr. Brigid Murphy CP, Sisters of the Cross & Passion, Melbourne