Homily

Twelfth Sunday of OT – A – 2017

“Do not be afraid”

Today’s Scripture readings tell us something very much related to our day to day life. The first reading tells us how the prophet Jeremiah trusted in the power of God even when he faced opposition to his prophetic ministry. Today’s Gospel passage is from the end of Jesus’ instruction to his disciples as he sent them forth to carry on his mission of preaching and healing. Jesus warned them about oppositions they might face and told them why they shouldn’t be afraid.

“Do not be afraid.” That is an expression we hear in the Gospels a lot of times. Besides others, Jesus himself said that on various occasions and situations. Let us look at some such instances.

James and John, sons of Zebedee, were out in the sea with Simon Peter. Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” (Luke 5:10) – a situation of choice of one’s vocation or life decision.

When Jairus, the synagogue official was sad about her daughter’s serious illness, Jesus said to him, “Do not fear, only believe.” (Mark 5:36 and Luke 8:50) – a situation of illness.

To give the disciples conviction about God’s providence Jesus said, “Even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:7) and “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) – when doubting God’s presence in one’s life.

 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more.  But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him” (Luke 12:4-5 –!) – when challenged with oppositions.

When the disciples were in the middle of the sea faced with impending danger, they cried out in fear. But Jesus said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” (Matthew 14:26-27, Mark 6:50 and John 6:20) – when one faces real dangers in life.

At the Transfiguration of Jesus: When the disciples heard the words of God, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.”(Matthew 17:6-7) – when not sure about who God is. 

On Easter Sunday Morning, at the Empty Tomb, the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.” (Matthew 28:4-5) and in Matthew 28:8, 10 – So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” – when one has a crisis of faith.

“Do not be afraid” - Jesus gives this reassuring message not only to his disciples but also to us when we do not know, what future holds for us, or when we are face to face with serious illness or a face break-up of family relationships , financial troubles, loss of job, death of a family member or crisis in our own faith. Jesus is telling us, “Do not be afraid, I am with you.”

An elderly woman had a window seat on a big 747 jetliner that had just taken off for Rome from New York. She had been saving for years to fulfill her dream to visit the Eternal City. It was her first flight in life, and she was very afraid. Even the stately presence of four bishops seated behind her didn’t help. With fear and trembling she looked through the window, she thought she saw one of the plane’s four engines breaking loose from the wing and disappearing into the clouds. She cried out, "We’re going to die. We’re going to die!" 

The stewardess went into the pilot’s cabin and came to the elderly lady ads assured her that everything was under control and they could fly back to Rome safely with three engines. But the elderly lady continued to cry out, "We’re going to die!" The stewardess finally said to her, "Don’t worry, mam about having only three engines, look, we have four bishops here to pray for us." The lady replied, "I’d rather have four engines and three bishops!"

Life messages: 1) Be not afraid: Our fears are many. We may be afraid of the future of our children.  Some are afraid of growing old and getting sick. Every fear we have is grounded in the knowledge that we have something or someone to lose. People fear - I may lose my job, family, house, money, health and even life itself.  

Rejection and loss are the roots of most of our fears. But we forget one thing: whenever trouble or crisis affects us, we know that God understands it better than we ourselves do. What a relief it is to know that God is on our side; that our life is in the hands of a loving God. Therefore the next time fear grips our life we need to remember what Jesus told us: "Don’t be afraid; I am with you always.”