Do Not Be Afraid!
12TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Jesus summons us and sends us out. [cf. Mt 10: 1-15]
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| We are called, chosen and commissioned. |
Last Sunday (11th Sunday in Ordinary Time), Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and sent them out [cf. Mt 10: 1-8]. St Matthew deliberately listed the names of the twelve apostles: for the Good Shepherd knows every one of His sheep individually by name. The apostles were instructed, empowered and sent on a mission: ‘go, and proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils…’
As the disciples of the Lord, we too are called, chosen and commissioned to proclaim the Gospel of love and life: to heal injuries, to bandage wounds, to mend the broken hearts, to raise the lowly, to strengthen the crushed, to give life and hope to the spiritually dead, and to fight sin and evil…
We will be persecuted. [cf. Mt 10: 17-25]
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| 21 Coptic Christians martyred by ISIS. |
Jesus warns us that Christians will be persecuted. And true enough, even until today Christ and His Body (the Church) are still facing both subtle and violent persecutions. Some governments create unjust rules to curb the freedom of Christians professing the faith, celebrating the faith, living the faith, and sharing the faith. Christians are, more often than not, treated as the foreign interference, the thorns in the flesh, the enemies of the state, and the scapegoats for any arising problem in the country. It was reported in Herald Malaysia, 23 Jan 2022 that ‘5,898 Christians lost their lives (in year 2021) because of their faith: this translates into 16 Christians being killed every day around the world!’
“Do not be afraid!” [cf. Mt 10-32]
In the Gospel reading this 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus stresses – not once but three times – these comforting words: “DO NOT BE AFRAID”.
(1) We are told not to be afraid of proclaiming Jesus in our words, in our deeds, and in our lives.
(2) We are told not to be afraid of humiliation, ridicules, mockeries, abuses, tortures, prosecutions and persecutions for the sake of Jesus and His Gospel.
(3) We are told not to be afraid of secularism, atheism, kleptocracy, persecution, extremism, authoritarianism, terrorism and the Antichrist.
(3) We are told not to be afraid because God loves us, and we are precious in His eyes.
We give thanks and praise to our God for ‘He has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline’. [2 Tim 1: 7]
Christ will always triumph.
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| God always wins. |
Yes, Christ and His Church have always been persecuted. Jesus has warned us [Jn 15: 18], “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated Me before it hated you.” The statistic is shocking and distressing, yet we know that evil will never have the last word because God is always with us: ‘They will fight against you but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.’ [Jr 1: 19]
Empires have come and gone,
kingdoms have come and gone,
systems have come and gone,
Romans have come and gone,
Nazis have come and gone,
and the enemies of Christ have come and gone.
This we firmly believe:
Christ has triumphed, and Christ will always triumph!
Let the words of St Teresa of Avila encourage us in the time of trial, tribulation, and turbulence:
“Let nothing disturb you.
Let nothing frighten you.
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.”
With Christ who walks with us and works in us, may we have the courage and enthusiasm to go forth and proclaim Jesus to the world.
Let our fervent prayer be:
“Save Your people, Lord, bless Your heritage, and govern us for ever. [cf. Ps 27: 9]”
Let us also pray that God’s justice, peace, truth and love may prevail in Ukraine, Sri Lanka and Nicaragua.
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