"Do not fear"
Matthew 10: 26 - 33
The Word: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/062120.cfm
In our liturgy this Sunday we officially, in liturgical terms,
move into the long summer and fall season called Ordinary. The
Lent/Easter/Pentecost feasts are completed and now we take a long journey with
our Lord learning of his ways and forming our morals, behavior and lifestyle
according to his Gospel ways. It is a
time for us to again examine the quality of our discipleship and our constant
need for conversion.
So, this Sunday we seem to break into a theme that demands a certain level of self-reflection, that is, the fears we usually carry. In light of our recent virus threat we may find much fear both within ourselves and from others. While much of that “fear” is fact based some may be an overreaction. Wise, though, to err on the side of caution.
Yet, our daily fears often have names: we are afraid of someone
or some thing; some event, some person who we feel poses a threat. We also fear
losing our possessions, our property, our good health. We may be anxious after
a nightmare or some other disturbing dream.
Such are the basic worries of everyday life.
Yet, in the Gospel this Sunday we hear Jesus say to his own Apostles and by association to us: “Fear no one . . . do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” In other words, do not worry about what you worry about! Do not be so anxious over those common everyday fears of people or some thing or all that stuff stored up in your homes or even your bank accounts. God cares for what may seem the least important such as the tiny sparrows because the value of us is far greater.
Then he launches into where our fear must really lay: in a healthy “fear” of God. This fear of the Lord, actually a gift of the Holy Spirit received at Confirmation, is however, a call to find security. As parents teach their children to have a healthy respect for fire, water, situations we too learn to “fear” or to have a respect for the things of God. We fear offending the one we love, the one who has created us and sustains us and who desires us to be with him eternally. We respect God for who he is and design our lives according to this honor we give to God and the sacred having no substitute for all that God alone can give us. The prophets of Israel knew this very well.
Our first reading, from the great prophet Jeremiah honestly shares his real anxiety with his readers: “I hear the whispers of many; terror on every side! . . . we can prevail and take vengeance upon him.” This is not the lament of a paranoid prophet but the real experience of rejection and misunderstanding this great prophet of the Babylonian exile shared intimately in his writings. Does he fear the one who can kill his body?
Soon, though, Jeremiah turns it around in an inspiring response to the fear he experiences: “But the LORD is with me like a mighty champion . . . praise the LORD, for he has rescued the life of the poor . . .” Even though Jeremiah found the vocation of a prophet to be deeply challenging, he knew that good was on his side and God would be his rescuer in spite of what may have seemed insurmountable odds. The point of Jeremiah’s honest sharing is that he never lost hope in the protection that God promised and neither should we. He had a healthy “fear” of God, a true respect for who God is and how much he truly cares for us. In spite of real threats Jeremiah faced, he knew that “. . . the Lord is with me . . .” And in the Gospel our Lord states the same.
Jesus encourages his disciples to share the good news openly, to speak in “the light” of day for all to know. No secrets, nothing hidden. They are not being sent with a “good bye and good luck” attitude but rather the confidence of knowing that in spite of the hard times of rejection ahead, their loyalty to Christ and the power of the message they carry will prevail. Jesus will remain with them so do not be afraid. God knows everything intimately so have confidence since your worth is far more to God than any living thing. As my spiritual director once told me: “Jesus runs to the train wreck.”
So it should be with the anxieties of life. If we fear too much, it may indicate that we lack faith. If we find ourselves always worried about out welfare, our health, our safety then we need to confront those fears and judge how grounded they may or may not be.
Pope Francis reminds us that we are “missionary disciples” sent
out to change the world around us. That
may seem like a tall order and indeed it is for us since he world is either
indifferent, hostile, politely dismissive, yet also hungry for a deeper sense
of meaning and purpose.
So, as the disciples by now had developed a closer relationship with Jesus, coming to know him more intimately, hearing of his message and a witness to his wonder works, so too are we reminded that we have heard the same, albeit in the Gospel stories, but also in our personal lives.
In the end, maybe taking to heart the promise of Jesus today to his disciples about letting go of their worry would do us well to reflect more on our lack of faith or may indicate to us that it is time we do something about the ungrounded fears we carry. This call to personal conversion is timeless and assuring.
There is no magic in the grace of God and sometimes we are called to carry that cross patiently as we are strengthened in faith in times of testing. But in the end our Lord reminds us as well, “do not fear.” If we remain his loyal disciples we have confidence that we will not be overcome.
The Eucharist comes to us as a sign of God’s enduring love; as food for our journey in a broken world. Through the Church we can find healing and reconciliation, the support of a community of other imperfect believers, and the grace necessary to walk without a fear that would paralyze us.
Grant, O Lord,
that we may always revere and love your holy name,
for you never deprive of your guidance
those you set firm on the foundation of your love.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
(Collect of Mass)
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