Many of us spend a great deal of time and energy being afraid. Some fear a past they cannot change or a future they cannot predict. Others fear what people are thinking or saying about them. There is fear of heights, the dark, spiders, loneliness, etc. During this ongoing coronavirus pandemic, everyone has some fear. Fear can cause confusion, distress and even paralysis.
One of the constant messages of Sacred Scripture is, “fear not!” Whether it’s God speaking to Abraham as he calls him to leave his homeland or to Moses when he instructs him to lead his people back to the Promised Land or an angel speaking to Mary or Joseph about the miraculous birth of their son or the women at the tomb, or – as we hear in today’s Gospel – Jesus speaking to the Twelve – over and over again, we hear the assurance: do not be afraid! Jesus says it three times in today’s gospel passage alone. And paying attention to why we are not to be afraid is an exercise in spiritual maturity.
Jeremiah gives us a very good example of that today. He had good reason to fear. His fellow Israelites are threatening his very life! A prophet who lived some six centuries before Jesus, Jeremiah was called by God to prophecy – that is, speak for God. The message God gave him to deliver was that the Israelite’s continued faithlessness to the covenant and worship of false gods was to blame for the destruction of their beloved Jerusalem and their exile to Babylon. Tragically, the people of Israel roundly rejected this message, and because the people despised the message, they wanted to take their vengeance out on the messenger.
In the face of such evil, the prophet showed no fear, choosing instead to sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked, as we hear in today’s reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah. He realized that God tests the just but is also with us, like a mighty champion. If only we could be so brave when our enemies gather at the gate, whether it’s unbelievers who belittle us or a little virus that can sicken us or kill our mortal bodies!
We can be courageous, if we open our hearts to the words of Jesus. He tells us to fear no one and nothing. If we truly believe that God has created all things, even the birds of the sky and the fish in the sea, then surely he has not lost sight of us in our struggles. You are worth more than many sparrows, Jesus says – what a wonderful image! Using another wonderful image, he tells us that God has counted all the hairs on our head. God is so intimately involved with every detail of even the smallest and seemingly insignificant parts of his creation and he has it all under control.
In his Letter to the Romans, Saint Paul echoes Christ’s message of determination and confidence. For it is through Christ – who conquers sin and death – that we can share in his victory over not just mortal death but the death of our own fears, faults, and failings. God’s gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ is his grace overflowing for the many. The reign of death that began with Adam’s sin is ended and the kingdom of God and the hope of heaven has taken its place.
We all have our daily burdens and struggles and we live in a world that can be hostile to the Gospel, just as it was in the time of Jeremiah. But Christ’s presence among us and God’s grace overflowing is there to give us strength, courage, and fortitude. Through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we have the ability to pray for these gifts, that we might stand up not only to defend the faith, but to be strong in the face of any obstacles and suffering in our life of faith.
Today marks the beginning of summer with the longest day of the year. Tomorrow we celebrate Father’s Day. This is a good time for us to see anew how the light of the sun, and God’s Son, can guide us out of the darkness of fear. As the things of the earth mature in this season, so can we mature in our spiritual lives. It is the perfect occasion for us to walk a new path with the Lord, trusting in our heavenly Father, and fearing no one and nothing, for our God accompanies us every moment of our lives.