Second Reading: Rom 5:12-15
Gospel: Mt 10:26-33
On this Twelfth Sunday in
Ordinary Time the readings of the day are inviting us not to be afraid of
people who call kill the body and cannot kill the soul. In the first reading we
hear the confessions of Jeremiah whose ministry was in the most critical time
of the kingdom of Judah. Jeremiah is called to do his prophetic ministry in the
unfortunate times of Judah. The prophetic messages he has delivered are all denouncements
and destruction of Judah. Thus, we can imagine the feedback he must have got from
the people. He cries out saying that even his own friends have turned against
him and looking for his fall (Jer 20:10). Prophets by nature are called to be
courageous in delivering the message. Because often they are sent to deliver
God’s message to the authority and powerful. To stand in front of the worldly
power with the message of the ruin of that existing power is not that easy. Yet,
Jeremiah does it successfully. Despite all the denouncements and criticisms, he
stands bold with his message of the fall of Jerusalem. He is bold, courageous
and fearless not on his own, but on the power of the message that he carries. The
one who chose him and sent him for this mission has empowered this little boy
Jeremiah with necessary graces and blessings. At the call of Jeremiah to
prophetic ministry God tells him not to be afraid of confronting them – recipients
of the prophecy (Jer 1:8). God promises His accompaniment and deliverance from
the hands of the opponents (Jer 1:8). This promise sustains the prophet in his
critical moments. Jeremiah cries out that all have turned against him and
looking for his fall, yet he confesses that he has complete trust in God. For
he says, “the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble,
they will not prevail. In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to
lasting, unforgettable confusion.” (Jer 20:11). In these verses we see Jeremiah
who was once afraid to speak anything in front of humans has now grown up
matured to confront the opponents with the message of destruction. From where
does he get this courage? Obviously from the one who sent him on a mission –
the Lord.
In the gospel of today,
Jesus instructs His disciples privately. In His instruction, the Lord encourages
the disciples to be fearless. They are not to be afraid of communicating His
message. Fear is good. We all have fear about something or the other. Fear helps
us to pause and reflect. When the Lord says, ‘do not be afraid’ it is about
truth. The world is filled with lies, likes and wants. Therefore, to confess
the truth in the ocean of evil is rather a difficult task and threatening too. In
this conflicted situation we are called to introspect and see what do we need
to be afraid of? To fear God or men? We
need to choose concerning whom to be afraid of. If we choose men, we have to
compromise God’s commandments and loose the reward of faithful life. If we
choose God, we face oppositions and persecutions but never loose the reward of
being faithful – the eternal life. In this juncture, we have great example in
the person of St. Thomas Morre, whose feast we have celebrated recently. He was
a lay man whose faith in Catholicism was deep and sincere. As a lawyer, statesman,
chancellor and moreover as secretary and personal advisor to the king, He chose
to serve God first then the King. He strongly objected King Henry VIII in
breaking away from Catholicism and founding his own Church in England thus
making himself as its head. St. Thomas More refused to give his obedience and take
oath of supremacy to the King. He was beheaded for this act. Interestingly,
when he died his last words were, “I die the King’s good servant, and God’s
first”. St. Thomas More chose to be afraid of God rather than human king. He
chose to be afraid of the one who can kill both his body and soul, rather than the
one who can kill only his body and not the soul. Yes, dear friends, oftentimes
we are afraid of the consequences that we would face in the remaining days of
our earthly life on the account of our obedience to the Lord. We scarcely worry
about the consequences that would come for eternity after this human life. Therefore,
we need to choose; which consequences do we need to worry about? Whom do we
need to be fearful? Fear of God is good because wisdom begins from that (Pro
9:10). Let us choose God who is life in its fullness (Deut 30:19-20). Let us strongly
believe like prophet Jeremiah that the Lord is on our side (Jer 20:11) because
we have committed our cause to him (Jer 20:12). He will always favour the
humble and the obedient (Prov 3:34; 29:23; Jas 4:6; 1 Pet 5:5). May God the
Almighty give us the grace to be prophets. The reward for this is; “everyone
who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.”
(Mt 10:32). May we be acknowledged by Jesus in the presence of our heavenly
Father.
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