If I could offer a survey to all my subscribers that asked the question: Have you ever been afraid as a child, teenager, or adult, most, if not all, would answer yes. The range of responses might be about monsters living under one’s bed that will take you away, asking someone out and being rejected or losing a job if you made too many errors.
Worldly fear is primarily having our lives affected so negatively that we lose control in almost every area we are active. When friends of mine returned from serving on the front lines in Viet Nam in the 1960s, they told me their fear was based on being scared of being wounded or killed. They lost trust in the military system of protection because the enemy ambushed them more often than fighting in the open when other armed forces could even the odds.
Another aspect of worldly fear is that it is used constantly to control outcomes beneficial to those in charge. It is not just a person having a difference with someone else; it is being put into a position that limits choices of how to rectify the problem. It is more of a win/loss situation than a win/win one. As the pandemic begins to dissipate, employees are more often losing the liberties they gained by working at home versus the office.
These type of fears: Physical, mental and emotional to name three, are part of daily living and create more anxiety than finding paths to offering better answers to eliminating the pain of constant turmoil.
Our readings and Gospel today mention these types of fears but offer a
different approach which can eliminate those areas of worry and anxiety. It is the biblical fear of God which calls us
to respect, reverence and obey the will of the Lord as offered to us in the law
handed down by God to Moses. It expels
all fear and anxiety from our minds by cherishing all unshakable confidence in
the never failing providence of God.
The greatest fear is that we may be seduced into betraying those values on which our integrity as human persons depends. To save our “bodies” at the expense of truth, love, justice, freedom and human solidarity. This is the real danger, the real death.
In the first reading from the Book of Jeremiah, we hear the prophet complain to God that all in Israel are judging and plotting against him because he imparts messages from God which do not please these unbelievers. Even former friends have sided with enemies and made several attempts on his life. Jeremiah, however, believes the Lord is listening to him. Despite continual suffering, he chooses to spend the rest of his life announcing the word of the Lord.
St. Paul’s letter to the Romans focuses on the sin of Adam as leading humans astray up to the time Moses received the law from God. Even then, humans needed to trust in God’s love for them because sin would not be forgiven or death conquered until Christ’s death and resurrection.
Jesus in St. Matthew’s Gospel tells the disciples and us that we are to: “Fear no one.” Fear of those who can inflict bodily harm and even death, while rational and understandable, is not a Christian fear. We need the courage to discover Jesus and to proclaim Him before others. It’s easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn’t lose heart because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering.
Jesus makes it clear to His disciples that following Him will entail hardships and maybe even persecution. We have nothing to fear for God offers abundant and providential care in all circumstances. Let us take this week to look into our heart, soul, mind and strength to see what we can do to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ from the “housetops” as He told His disciples to do. “Do not be afraid”!
Reading 1: Jeremiah 20: 10-13
Reading 2: Romans 5: 12-15
Gospel: Matthew 10: 26-33
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