And the Pharisees went out and took counsel about him, how they might destroy him.

 Jesus knew this, so he left there. Many followed him, and he healed them all, only he threatened them not to betray him. So what the prophet Isaiah said came true: “… He will not grieve, he will not cry out, no one will hear his voice in the street. He will not break the bruised reed or quench the burning wick…” ” Mt 12:14-20.

If one cannot refute an inconvenient truth, he usually reaches for the truth by force, believing that if he destroys the bearer of the truth, he will destroy the truth itself! The Pharisees are advised on how to kill Jesus. Jesus responds to the conspiracy against his life by withdrawing until his hour comes and forbids the proclamation of his name and wonders. Putting yourself in danger is not the only way to stay faithful to the truth. It is advisable and necessary “when the hour comes.” The Lord also sometimes withdraws Himself, retires to another place, and forbids Himself to be spoken of. He refuses to advertise.

Please, Lord, teach me to discern what serves my salvation and vanity well. Teach me the art of true meekness and humility: to know how to find my proper place for the moment, to understand how to withdraw, to avoid until “your hour” comes, and to understand how to keep silent, lest I unwisely contribute to the destruction of the bearer of truth and in so doing contribute nothing to the truth. And yet to be ready to accept “your hour” and not abandon my place. “He shall not grin nor make a noise, neither shall any man hear his voice in the street…” Raising the voice is not to increase the effectiveness of the arguments or the testimony. Truth needs devotion, not intolerance.

Lord, how impatient, dissatisfied, and wicked we, your apostles, are! How prone we are to “grumble, to cry out.” It is not our love for your truth that grins and makes a cry, but our pride and impatience. We are always more afraid of our reputation than of your honor. Forgive us for what we have done to harm your truth. Meek and lowly in heart, you make our hearts after your own heart despite our opposition.

I keep the broken reed and the smoking wick before my eyes – like an object. How many are around us? And thou wilt not renounce them. I don’t want broken reeds and smoking wicks left behind me, for thou thyself hast admitted that in thy Church, besides the cedars of Lebanon, there are also brittle reeds. I know I cannot be a broken reed when I want to prop someone up. Nor a smoking wick when I want to shine a light on someone. But the strength of the branch is in the strength of the vine. I will not forsake thee; I will not depart from thee. I pray this day for all who are far from being broken and quenched. This is my intention for today. I trust that, leaning on you, I will help some reed, some wick.