GOSPEL: MT 10:26-33
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JESUS said to the Twelve: “Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
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Fear paralyzes. But God’s love, always bigger than anything that can make us afraid, gives us security and makes us more self-giving.
Without the love of God, fear thrives – in insecurity and a self-preserving attitude. When we live in lies and pretenses, for example, we will always be insecure because it is only in truth that we can stand firm and tall. By God’s love we can live in the light of truth. Further, when we are afraid, we tend to be more self-securing than self-giving. If we are truly self-giving, we will never be afraid of reaching out to others because God’s love gives us the courage to do so even if it would entail facing persecutions.
The Gospel, following Jesus’ prediction of the coming persecutions his disciples will face (cf Mt 10:16-25), conveys the message of courage under persecution. Jesus exhorts his followers, three times, not to be afraid (vv 26, 28, 31). The first exhortation is immediately followed by his assurance that whatever is concealed will eventually be revealed. The second and third exhortations are related to the tendency of preserving one’s life. Jesus reminds his followers that, even amidst persecutions, the heavenly Father cares for them.
Pope Francis, in his apostolic exhortation on the call to holiness (Gaudete et Exsultate), exhorts us to see again the beauty of our vocation towards holiness as well as its opportunities, challenges, and risks. The Pope associates such holiness, to which we are called, to “boldness and passion” (GE, 129-139). He highlights how paralyzing fear can be when we do not listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to speak the word of God with boldness and gives us courage to move away from self-centeredness in order to reach out to others. It is the Spirit of the Father who speaks through us in times when we are being tried (cf Mt 10:19-20). It is also this Spirit who reminds us that nothing can “separate us from the love of God” (Rom 8:39). It is the same Spirit of love who gives us courage to face life’s difficulties with grace, even when being persecuted.
Persecutions may come indirectly and in subtle ways. We may experience them in the ordinariness of our everyday life. Do we allow God’s love to shine through us even when threatened by persecutions? In our areas of work, where there may be a culture of dishonesty, do we boldly say no to this culture or are we paralyzed by the fear of being persecuted by its perpetrators?
* * * SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2020,” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
