Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Sunday’s Gospel (cf. Mt 10:26-33) Our Lord Jesus invites us to have no fear, to be strong and confident in the face of life’s challenges. It is not a cozy and comfortable discourse but a missionary discourse. It is precise for you and me, StsAJ parishioners. If the Lord God brought us to this parish, He wants to make us His Missionary Disciples. Today He is training us with a very persistent expression: “do not be afraid”, “do not be afraid”, and describes three tangible situations that we will have to face.

First and foremost, the hostility of those who would like to stifle the Word of God by watering it down or by silencing us. Jesus encourages his Apostles to utter His Gospel “in the light”, that is, openly; and are to proclaim it “from the housetops”, publicly.

The second difficulty that Christ’s missionaries will encounter is the physical threat against them. To this Jesus says: “do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (v. 28). There is no need to be frightened of those who seek to extinguish the evangelizing force with arrogance and violence. The only fear that a disciple should have is to lose this divine gift, the closeness and friendship with God.

The third type of trial that Jesus indicates the Apostles will find themselves facing is the sensation, which some may feel, that God Himself has abandoned them, remaining distant and silent. Here Jesus exhorts us not to fear, because even while experiencing these and other pitfalls, our lives rest firmly in the hands of The Father, who loves us and looks tenderly after us.

This is my first Sunday as a Pastor (parochial administrator) and I feel the Lord Jesus addresses me the same words He whispered to John Paul II when he became Pope: “Do not be afraid, open wide the doors to Christ”. This beautiful friend together with all the saints and angels are echoing the Lord singing to us in chorus: “Be not afraid, I am with you always”. 

In Jesus and Mary,

Fr. Remi