“Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.”

“The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls.” 

Gospel Text: (MT 10:24-33)

Jesus said to his Apostles:

“No disciple is above his teacher,

no slave above his master.

It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,

for the slave that he become like his master.

If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,

how much more those of his household!

“Therefore do not be afraid of them.

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.”

Today’s gospel is a wonderful exhortation by Christ for the Church and for each of us when we face the enormity and complexity of the forces of evil in our lives  and our world.  I don’t know about you, but as I learn more about these forces, the more I’m tempted to think they are too big for us.  It seems we do not know how to cope with them, we cannot deal with them on our own, and we cannot stop them let alone destroy them!

If we give in to fear, we think thoughts which are not of God. This has many bad effects because "a thought" is the source "of every act" and "the root of all conduct is the mind" (Sir 37:16-17).

If we give in to fear, we think of ourselves as slaves (Gn 50:18-19). However, Jesus freed "those who through fear of death had been slaves their whole life long" (Heb 2:15).

If we give in to fear, we are intimidated, that is, manipulated (Mt 10:26). Fear is often used to silence us about the Lord (Mt 10:27).

We "have no fear" (Gn 50:21) when we believe that God our Father will provide for us (see Gn 50:21) by working together all things — even bad things — for our benefit (Rm 8:28; Gn 50:20).

We "do not fear" when we believe that no one can destroy our souls except God (Mt 10:28), Who does so only if we insist on not trusting Him and living for Him.

We "have no fear" when we believe that God the Father knows and loves us personally, individually, and tenderly (see Mt 10:29-31).

"Therefore have no fear" (Gn 50:21).