First Reading: Jeremiah 20:10-13: ‘He has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evil doers.’
Commentary: The prophet bewails his heavy burden of repeatedly denouncing the defenders of the city who are only making matters worse by not trusting in the Lord. One cannot but sympathise with this gentle prophet who finds it so hard continually to denounce his fellow-countrymen. He complains that the LORD had ‘seduced’ him so that he cannot stop prophesying disaster. He had faced up to the chief of police, the priest Pashhur, distorting his name to ‘Pahor’ (‘Terror’) and calling him ‘Terror-on-every-side’, and now Jeremiah’s opponents turn that name back on him, suggesting that he in turn may be ‘seduced’ into error and pay the penalty. But at the same time as complaining, Jeremiah also proclaims his faith: the LORD is at his side, and his foes will stumble.
In the same way and in the same city and sanctuary some centuries later Jesus will proclaim his certainty that the LORD will prove him right against his detractors.
Responsorial Psalm 69:8-10. 14, 17. 33-35. In your great mercy, answer me, O Lord.
The psalm picks us the theme of this prayer of Jeremiah and echoes
it with such words as “The Lord hears the poor, and God’s own who are in bonds,
God spurns not. Let the heavens and the earth praise the Lord.”
Second Reading: Romans 5:12-15: ‘The free gift is not like the trespass.’
Commentary: Christ is the saviour, but how does he save? The Letter to the Romans is Paul’s fullest explanation, and the heart of that teaching is that Christ is the Second Adam. Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden, as described in Genesis, it not a simple historical story of one particular sin. It is the paradigm of all sin, the paradigm or analysis of all human failure, the process of turning away from God’s commandments in pride and independence: ‘I know better than God what is good for me.’ We are children of Adam in so far as we have sinned, and Adam’s sin sums up that of all humanity. At the same time Adam is not only the type, but also the founder of all humanity. Christ, on the other hand is the second founder of all humanity. His act of perfect obedience to his Father on the cross transcends and heals this act of disobedience committed by the first Adam. Only Christ’s act of loving obedience could be great enough to do this. It had to be an act of a man, but not of a mere man. We are members of this new humanity in so far as we join ourselves to Christ, put all our trust and hope in him.
Gospel: Matthew 10:26-33: ‘Do not fear those who kill the body.’
Commentary: This whole chapter of Matthew brings together and sums up what Jesus has to say to his apostles about declaring his teaching in the face of hostility and persecution. Jesus himself was fearless in proclaiming his message. He ‘taught with authority’, as the gospel constantly tells us. His disciples are sent out to do the same. We do not often meet with real persecution, though it may yet happen. The martyrs of communist Russia or Vietnam lived many years of peaceful Christianity before unexpectedly facing martyrdom. The monk martyrs of Algeria did not reckon on martyrdom when they went to Algeria. The only preparation for martyrdom can be fidelity and prayer. More often we face mockery for holding to Christian principles, and that too can be difficult to bear. We can be accused of narrow-mindedness, lack of appreciation of human values, blind obedience, sentimentality, naivety, and a host of other hurtful slurs. Jesus did not promise that the Father would prevent the sparrows falling to the ground! Nor is it always easy to respond to such slurs with the patience and generosity as well as the truthfulness which Jesus would have shown. ‘A spoonful of honey attracts more flies than a barrelful of vinegar’, said St Francis de Sales.
Reflection: What does fear have to do with the kingdom of
God? Fear is a powerful force. It can lead us to panic and flight or it can
spur us to faith and action. The fear of God is the antidote to the fear of
losing one's life. I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from
all my fears. O fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no
want! Come, O sons, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. (Psalm
34:4,9,11)
Godly fear, reverence, and
respect for God's ways produce wisdom and right judgment: What is
godly fear? It is reverence for the One who made us in love and who sustains us
in mercy and kindness. The greatest injury or loss which we can experience is
not physical but spiritual - the loss of one's heart, mind, and soul to the
power of hell. A healthy fear of God leads to spiritual maturity, wisdom and
right judgment and it frees us from the tyranny of cowardly fear and sinful
pride that refuses to do what is right, good, and just - especially in the face
of opposition and evil. Do you trust in the power of God's love and truth that
can conquer every fear and form of evil and wrongdoing? The Lord Jesus
willingly embraced the cross for our sake to atone for our sins and to free us
from slavery to sin, Satan, and death. Do you believe in the power of his cross
and victory over death, despair, and sin?
Proclaim boldly what no
earthly power can destroy - the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ: When
Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God he met opposition and hostility from those
who refused to believe in him. He tells his disciples that they must expect the
same treatment if they are to live and to proclaim the reign of God. There is
both a warning and a privilege in his statement. Just as Jesus had to carry his
cross, so the disciples must carry their cross and not try to evade it. To
suffer for the faith is to share in the work of Christ. As one hymn states:
Lift high the Cross of Christ! Tread where his feet have trod. The Holy Spirit
gives us power and grace to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. Do you trust in
God's grace to carry your cross for Jesus' sake?
"Lord Jesus, it is my joy and privilege to be your
disciple. Give me strength and courage to bear any hardship and suffering which
may come my way in your service. May I witness to others the new life, joy and
victory you have won for us through your cross and resurrection."
Daily Quote from the Early
Church Fathers: Fear not, you are
of more value than many sparrows, by John Chrysostom, 344-407 A.D.
"What do you see in creation of less value than a tiny
sparrow? But even the sparrow will not fall without God's knowledge. Jesus does
not mean that the sparrow falls by God's direct will because it is unworthy but
that nothing that occurs is hidden from God. If then God is not ignorant of
anything that happens in creation, and if God loves us more truly than the best
human father, and if God loves us so as to have numbered our very hairs, then
we need not be afraid. Jesus said this not to indicate that God literally has a
number placed on the very hairs of our head but rather to show that God has
perfect knowledge of everything about us and providentially cares for
everything about us. Therefore, if God both knows all things that happen to us
and is able to save us and willing to do so, then whatever we may be suffering,
we need not think that God has forsaken us in our suffering. For it is not
God's will to keep us wholly separated from that which elicits dread but rather
to persuade us not to make an idol out of whatever we dread. It is this, more
than anything else, that constitutes deliverance from dread. 'Therefore, don't
be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.' Don't you see that God
views your fear with more concern than the lives of many sparrows? He already
knows the secrets of your heart. Hence Jesus adds, 'Do not fear.' For even if
that which you dread prevails, it prevails only over your body; this is the
limited part of yourself, which nature will surely take in due time and bring
to an end." (excerpt from The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 34, 2-3)
no fear: “Do not
fear.” —Matthew 10:28
Fear has always been a major factor in life. Many people
even make fear a way of life. They live in fear (see Lk 12:32) and are lifelong
slaves through their fear of death (Heb 2:15). In the Bible, the Lord commands
us hundreds of times: “Do not be afraid” (see Mt 10:26, 28, 31). He commands:
“Do not fear; only believe” (Mk 5:36, RSV-CE). He promises that the fear of the
Lord can remove the fear of man from our lives. “He who fears the Lord is never
alarmed, never afraid; for the Lord is his Hope” (Sir 34:14). Moreover,
“perfect love casts out all fear” (1 Jn 4:18). The fear of the Lord is not only
the beginning of wisdom but also of fearlessness (see Prv 9:10). Then our
faith, hope, and love in the Lord displace fear from our lives.
The Holy Spirit gives us this fear of the Lord. Faith and
love are fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22), and our hope will not leave us
disappointed because the Spirit has poured out Christ’s love in our hearts (Rm
5:5). Therefore, “do not fear.” The Lord says it again and again: “Do not
fear.” The Spirit we have received is no fearful Spirit (2 Tm 1:7), “so do not
be afraid of anything” (Mt 10:31).
Prayer: Father,
may people ask me the reason for my fearlessness (see 1 Pt 3:15). “Sing to the
Lord, praise the Lord, for He has rescued the life of the poor from the power
of the wicked!” —Jer 20:13. Praise the risen Jesus, the Victor over death!
Alleluia forever! (see 1 Cor 15:55-57)
The personal action for
today: When I think of the
challenges that I face because of my relationship with the Lord Jesus, how do I
feel? Am I fearful of what may happen to me? As I contemplate the benefits that
God has promised to give me as I proclaim the Good News, what thoughts cross my
mind? How can I more effectively proclaim the Good News to someone who needs to
hear the message today? This week?
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga: The Lord can make saints anywhere,
even amid the brutality and license of Renaissance life. Florence was the “mother
of piety” for Aloysius Gonzaga despite his exposure to a “society of fraud, dagger,
poison, and lust.” As a son of a princely family, he grew up in royal courts and
army camps. His father wanted Aloysius to be a military hero.
At age 7 Aloysius experienced a profound spiritual quickening.
His prayers included the Office of Mary, the psalms, and other devotions. At age
9 he came from his hometown of Castiglione to Florence to be educated; by age 11
he was teaching catechism to poor children, fasting three days a week, and practicing
great austerities.
When Aloysius Gonzaga was 13 years old, he traveled with his
parents and the Empress of Austria to Spain, and acted as a page in the court of
Philip II. The more Aloysius saw of court life, the more disillusioned he became,
seeking relief in learning about the lives of saints.
A book about the experience of Jesuit missionaries in India suggested
to him the idea of entering the Society of Jesus, and in Spain his decision became
final. Now began a four-year contest with his father. Eminent churchmen and laypeople
were pressed into service to persuade Aloysius to remain in his “normal” vocation.
Finally he prevailed, was allowed to renounce his right to succession, and was received
into the Jesuit novitiate.
Like other seminarians, Aloysius was faced with a new kind of
penance—that of accepting different ideas about the exact nature of penance. He
was obliged to eat more, and to take recreation with the other students. He was
forbidden to pray except at stated times. He spent four years in the study of philosophy
and had Saint Robert Bellarmine as his spiritual adviser.
In 1591, a plague struck Rome. The Jesuits opened a hospital
of their own. The superior general himself and many other Jesuits rendered personal
service. Because he nursed patients, washing them and making their beds, Aloysius
Gonzaga caught the disease. A fever persisted after his recovery and he was so weak
he could scarcely rise from bed. Yet he maintained his great discipline of prayer,
knowing that he would die three months later within the octave of Corpus Christi,
at the age of 23.
As a saint who fasted, scourged himself, sought solitude and
prayer, and did not look on the faces of women, Aloysius seems an unlikely patron
of youth in a society where asceticism is confined to training camps of football
teams and boxers, and sexual permissiveness has little left to permit. Can an overweight
and air-conditioned society deprive itself of anything? It will when it discovers
a reason, as Aloysius did. The motivation for letting God purify us is the experience
of God loving us in prayer.