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On this 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we read a message from Jesus to his disciples in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus says:
“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” (Matthew 10: 26-33).
Jesus’ message to fear no one is very challenging, for in daily life, we are often afraid. Sometimes we’re afraid of people, such as the schoolyard or Internet bullies. Or we are afraid of adults who want to harm us. Jesus knew that such fear was natural. What he wanted to assure his disciples was that even if someone hurts their bodies, it is their souls that matter. In other words, he was calling on them to transcend their earthly concerns and remember that in the future, the only thing that will matter is our eternal home. And, he says, if we acknowledge him before others, he will acknowledge us before the Heavenly Father.
