TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YR A
Jer. 20:10-13; Ps 69
Rom 5:12-15; Matt. 10:26-33
DO NOT BE AFRAID
The command ‘do not be afraid’ is the most common command in the Bible. And we seem to easily forget this command and keep looking over our shoulders and live our lives in fear of many things. But “God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, of love and of discipline” (2Tim1:7). The readings of today touches on that which causes us to fear.
The first cause of fear is people who just hate you and do everything to discredit you and make your life difficult. There may not be any particular reason for their dislike and hatred. It would seem that they just do not want to see you succeed or do well in whatever you do. No matter the role they play in your life, it fills you with some trepidation. They may be your bosses, your colleagues or subordinates. The good news is that you are aware of their dislike for you. The advantage then is that, nothing should surprise you and you shouldn’t expect much from that corner. If you have such people in your life Jesus says, do not fear them.
The second cause of fear refers to those who you cannot identify. They are those who are around you as if they love you but in fact they are for your downfall. In the first reading, Jeremiah says he hears whispers of terror around him but it’s difficult to identify who is the cause. They are around him as his friends. He says, “those who used to be my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine” (Jer 20:10). The Psalm for today says, “I have become a stranger to my brothers and an alien to my own mother’s sons” (Ps 69:9). Unlike the first, this adversary does not make himself known. He seems to be lurking around you waiting for your downfall. This may cause you to be afraid of those around you. It makes you suspect everyone around you and you are unsure of your movements. In fact, you become paranoid. Of these people Jesus says, do not be afraid of them.
Whatever may be the cause of your fear, whatever may be causing your unsteadiness, whatever it is that seem to sap your confidence, may the word of God, thunder in your heart and in your soul, “Do not be afraid”. Jeremiah says, “the Lord is with me a mighty warrior, my enemies will stumble, mastered, confounded by their failure”. Anyone who stands against you, stands against God. He will fight for you. Believe that you have a bigger and a greater God. Commit your case to him and you will never lose.
God bless you.
By Fr. Delight Arnold Carbonu
