What struck me first when I read our Gospel today is the command that starts out Jesus’ address to his apostles: “Fear no one.” By some counts, it tells us to not be afraid and not to fear more than 300 times in the Bible. As we hear these words of Jesus, to not be afraid, we might think of how when Mary was called to be the mother of Jesus, she was deeply disturbed at this message, uncertain of its true meaning. The angel encouraged her with the words: Mary, do not be afraid. Then, when Joseph heard about Mary being with child, he had planned to quietly divorce her, but was told in a dream, “Joseph, do not be afraid.” God called Mary and Joseph by name, asking them to take on a difficult undertaking. God told them to not be afraid, that he would be with them and would bring them strength, support, and encouragement, that they would not be alone.
Fear is a big part of life. It is a big part our daily lives right now for many people. We’re afraid of a lot of things: of the injustice and intolerance we see in society, of the rise of violence, terrorism and religious persecution, of the economic problems and pandemic that is a part of our daily reality. We hear a lot of language of attack and accusation in our society, language of separation, segregation, and exclusion. Fear can be roused up in us in many different ways, but Jesus is in solidarity with us, recognizing that there are indeed things in life that will cause his disciples fear. But there is appropriate fear and inappropriate fear, false fear and true fear. We need not ultimately fear those who try to harm us physically because our physical existence is held in the hands of God and is precious in his sight. As God values the life of sparrows that are sold two for a penny, think of how God values those disciples who place their trust and faith in him. We who stand firm in faith and in the values of the Gospel, even to the point of death, can be be confident in where our ultimate fate lies, in the hands of God and in our eternal life with Christ.
We probably all feel like Jeremiah sometimes. Jeremiah reflects on the difficulty of his vocation of being God’s prophet and messenger. He has to deliver a very difficult message to God’s people. This brings a lot of hostility and burdens upon Jeremiah, yet, he remains confident in the Lord, still putting his trust in the Lord. Jeremiah knows he will be vindicated in the end.
In the face of fear, true faith does not ask us to flee from conflict or challenge, to run away cowardly. On the contrary, our faith gives us the power to live bravely and generously, to be resolute and daring. Our trust in God helps us to overcome our fears in order to boldly defend what is right and just. As believers, we are not called close off in ourselves, to retreat into comfort or laziness. Rather we are called to be committed.
Where is God is calling us to action, both as individuals and as a community? That is a good question. Perhaps what we need most right now is to ponder and discern that question to see where God is calling us. Even in the pandemic, we have continued our ministry to help the homeless through the Why Not Now program in downtown Jackson. God called us to that program and we are responding to that call. He will continue to call us to where we need to be.
The words of Sister Thea have inspired me during these difficult days. Today, I would like to end our homily like we did last week, through the words of Sister Thea Bowman. This is a prayer she wrote herself.
O, Lord, help us to be attentive to your commands. Help us to walk in unity. Help us to celebrate who we are and whose we are. Help us to overcome selfishness, anger, and violence in our hearts, in our homes, in our Church, in our world. Help us to knock down, pull down, shout down the walls of racism, sexism, classism, materialism, and militarism that divide and separate us. Help us to live as your united people, proclaiming with one voice, our faith, our hope, our love, our joy. Amen. +
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