Never Fear when You Trust God! 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sermon by Emmanuel Suntheni OSB – Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sermon and Christian Act in The Word
Theme: Trust & Confidence in God! Never fear when you Trust God! Build Trust & disarm Fear!
Point of Reflection: The Liturgy of the Word for today deals with challenges which inevitably confront the person of faith, thus, fear and worries of life. They deal particularly with the problem of tribulations we face every day.
As Christians, how do we handle our fears and challenges every day?
First Reading: Jeremiah 20:10–13
Psalm: Psalm 69:8–10, 14, 17, 33–35
Second Reading: Romans 5:12–15
Gospel: Matthew 10:26–33
Sermon (Reflection): Today’s liturgy describes the right attitude in the face of tribulations and fears, namely confidence and trust. Jeremiah, attacked from every side, placed his cause in the hands of the Lord. Paul knew that Jesus overcame sin and joyfully proclaimed the defeat of death to the Romans. Jesus insisted that his disciples are not to be overcome by fear, but to remember God’s saving presence. Since, as Paul stated, Jesus defeated sin and brought God’s grace, believers have the gift of life that no opposition or hostility can take away. The prayer of the Psalmist expresses that very confidence that disarms fear in words, “my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me.”
In the Gospel passage of today Jesus continues his “missionary discourse”. This section of the Gospel aims to instruct and guide the disciples on how to carry out Jesus’ mission. He did not hide from them the hardships and dangers they were to face when witnessing to him. Just as he himself was persecuted and rejected, so will his disciples be. Nevertheless, they are not to be frightened. Three times in this short passage Jesus repeats: “Do not be afraid”. Disciples are not to be afraid of “those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul”. If there is something to be feared, it is God himself.
However, fear of God, as elsewhere in the Bible, does not mean being afraid of God. Biblically, fear of God means respect and obedience.
The only thing the disciples ought to fear is being disobedient and disrespectful towards God, who decides a person’s final destiny. The harm caused by other people can be very distressing, but, in the end, it is of little significance since it has no lasting consequences.
In the end, the Gospel emphasized that it is not fear, even understood as obedience and respect, that should govern the disciple’s relationship with God. The example of God’s care for small sparrows of little worth shows that human life has great value in God’s eyes: “You are of more value than many sparrows”. This statement was meant to give the disciples great confidence in God’s care, confidence that even the threat of death cannot undermine. Such confidence should enable them to proclaim the Gospel openly, regardless of the circumstances.
Trust is to replace fear. As Christians, let us build hope and trust in Christ and we will never go wrong.
This Gospel by Matthew offers us a powerful message of hope and encouragement. As believers, we are called to trust in God’s ultimate justice, to put our faith in Him above all else, and to boldly proclaim our faith to the world. May we take these words to heart, and may they inspire us to live lives of faithful witness and service to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The first reading of today presents a fragment of the “Confessions of Jeremiah”, where the prophet expresses his deep feelings of disappointment in the form of a prayer. He laments the attempts of his enemies to discredit him and his prophetic message, in words such as, “I hear many whispering: ‘Terror is all around! Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’ ” Jeremiah was thrown into prison as a dangerous troublemaker. After his release, Jeremiah was mocked and taunted with reminders of what Pashhur did to him. He was also humiliated by insinuations that his prophecies were false, as Jerusalem continued to stand intact.
Faced with this threatening and dangerous situation Jeremiah did at times lose heart. He even raised bitter complaints against God, knowing that his divine-given vocation to be a prophet would make him an object of mockery and persecution. However, his dominant response was not despair but hope and confidence in the Lord: “But the Lord is with me like a dread warrior”. With deep conviction, Jeremiah declared that his opponents “will stumble, and they will not prevail”. Firm in his commitment to God, Jeremiah dealt with his moments of desolation and maintained his confidence in God. In his lamentations, the prophet moved from fear to trust that the Lord defends his faithful ones. This made him eventually pronounce the words of praise, “Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers.” My dear fellow Christians, to live a happy Christian life we just need trust and confidence in God.
At the beginning of chapter 5 of the Letter to the Romans which is our second reading of today, St. Paul shifts from the theme of “faith” to that of “hope”. Having dealt with righteousness based on faith in the first four chapters of the letter, the apostle begins to discuss the effects of righteousness by faith on the life of the faithful and life “in Christ”. The joyful declaration of trust comes from the realization that sin has been overcome and, through Jesus, a new kind of relationship between the righteous person and God has been established. Through him, “the grace of God” which brings about true life has come to all.
Dear people of God, we have nothing to fear here on Earth if our trust and confidence is in God. God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is everything to us. Fear no more! Disarm your fear and build love and trust.
Christian Act in Word of God “I will disarm fear and instil trust and confidence in God”
A saying goes like this, “a dead goat does not fear a knife”. When you are dead to this world and alive for Christ, you no longer fear what the world may do to you. Your only concern is to live for Him who died for you. Only against this backdrop, the words of Christ in today’s Gospel, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul”, make sense and carry consolation. Do not worst your time my dear brother and sister in trusting things of this world, they will perish but Christ will never perish, trust and have confidence in God.
It is about having confidence in the power of God. The greatest weapon for disarming fear of any kind is trust in divine providence. It is believing that the Lord who watches over every sparrow knows and guards each one of us. God loves you, always remind yourself.
Jesus is instructing his disciples to fearlessly proclaim his teachings, even in the face of persecution and opposition. This passage is rich in theological significance and offers us much insight into the nature of God and the role of believers in the world.
Jesus begins by telling his disciples that everything that is hidden will eventually be revealed. This can be understood as a reference to God’s ultimate justice, which will bring to light all that has been hidden or obscured. As believers, we are called to trust in this justice, knowing that God will ultimately vindicate those who have been faithful to Him.
Jesus also encourages his disciples to not be afraid of those who can only harm the body but to fear God who has the power to destroy both body and soul. This is a powerful reminder that our ultimate allegiance is to God alone and that we should not fear any earthly power that seeks to harm us. As believers, we are called to put our trust in God above all else, knowing that He alone has the power to protect us.
Furthermore, Jesus reminds us that even the smallest details of our lives are known and valued by God. This is an incredible affirmation of the worth and dignity of every human person, and should inspire us to treat others with the same level of respect and care that God has for us.
Finally, Jesus encourages us to boldly proclaim our faith, even in the face of opposition or persecution. This is a call to courage and steadfastness in the face of adversity and reminds us that our faith is not something to be hidden or kept private, but rather something to be shared with the world.
It appears we are in the days of “Jeremiah”. That everyone is living in fear and doubt. However, we are never alone. In Christ, we have found God’s gracious gift. He is our hope and the reason why we are not afraid to stand up and be counted as his followers in this passing world.
Action: From today onwards, I will disarm fear and have trust and confidence in Jesus Christ.
Prayer: O Loving Father, instil in us a heart of believing that we trust in you all times. We pray today that may we remove all our fears, worries, and tribulations, and have confidence in you as you were not afraid to give us your only begotten Son Jesus Christ to redeem us. May we not be afraid to follow Him and be led to the gates of paradise by doing good to our family members, friends, and all people of goodwill, Amen.
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