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
What would you be able to accomplish if you stopped being afraid?
That is a question every one of us needs to wrestle with, because fear holds so many people back from what God is calling them to.
Most of the time, it is not a lack of talent, intelligence, or opportunity that stops us. It is fear. And nowhere is that more true than in our walk with Jesus Christ.
We are afraid of what people will think. If I speak openly about my faith, will people make fun of me? Will they think I’m strange?
Sometimes we are afraid of what God Himself might ask of us.
What if He asks me to change?
What if following Jesus actually costs me something?
Fear is a normal human emotion. God gave it to protect us from real danger.
But many of us are controlled by fears that cannot truly harm us – fear of rejection, criticism, embarrassment, sacrifice, or failure.
These fears keep us quiet when we should speak and comfortable when God is calling us to more.
That is why Jesus says so clearly in today’s Gospel: “Do not be afraid.”
Jesus is preparing His disciples to go out into the world. He sends them to preach, heal, and confront evil. They would face rejection, ridicule, and persecution. Naturally, they were afraid.
We are not much different. Jesus sends us into our families, workplaces, schools, and communities where faith is often unwelcome.
He calls us to forgive, defend the vulnerable, care for the poor, and live differently from the world around us.
If we take our faith seriously, we will face opposition.
The good news is that Jesus does not simply tell us not to be afraid. He gives us what we need to overcome fear.
One of those gifts is courage, the gift of fortitude from the Holy Spirit. Courage is not the absence of fear. It is moving forward despite fear.
The saints understood this well. St. Maximilian Kolbe volunteered to die in place of another prisoner at Auschwitz. The twenty-one martyrs of Libya could have saved their lives by denying Christ, but they remained faithful to the end.
The other great weapon against fear is love.
Everything changes when we realize how deeply we are loved by God. Jesus says that even the hairs on our head are counted.
God knows us completely and never abandons us.
When we are secure in His love, we no longer need the approval of the world. We become freer, stronger, and bolder.
Then we begin to see others differently. Much hatred and violence come from fear.
Christians are called to stand against evil, but without hatred. We remember that Christ died even for His enemies.
Jesus promises that everyone who acknowledges Him before others, He will acknowledge before His Father in Heaven.
Faithfulness to Christ will sometimes bring opposition, but God’s gifts of courage and love will help us overcome fear.
And when we do, we become witnesses who inspire others to trust that, with God at our side, no power in this world can ever overcome us.
