20260621 HOLY FEAR IS THE WAY TO OVERCOME ALL FEARS
21 June 2026, Sunday, 12th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Jeremiah 20:10-13 |
He has delivered the soul of the needy from the hands of evil men
Jeremiah said:
I hear so many disparaging me,
‘“Terror from every side!”
Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’
All those who used to be my friends
watched for my downfall,
‘Perhaps he will be seduced into error.
Then we will master him
and take our revenge!’
But the Lord is at my side, a mighty hero;
my opponents will stumble, mastered,
confounded by their failure;
everlasting, unforgettable disgrace will be theirs.
But you, O Lord of Hosts, you who probe with justice,
who scrutinise the loins and heart,
let me see the vengeance you will take on them,
for I have committed my cause to you.
Sing to the Lord,
praise the Lord,
for he has delivered the soul of the needy
from the hands of evil men.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 68(69):8-10,14,17,33-35 |
In your great love, answer me, O Lord.
It is for you that I suffer taunts,
that shame covers my face,
that I have become a stranger to my brothers,
an alien to my own mother’s sons.
I burn with zeal for your house
and taunts against you fall on me.
In your great love, answer me, O Lord.
This is my prayer to you,
my prayer for your favour.
In your great love, answer me, O God,
with your help that never fails:
Lord, answer, for your love is kind;
in your compassion, turn towards me.
In your great love, answer me, O Lord.
The poor when they see it will be glad
and God-seeking hearts will revive;
for the Lord listens to the needy
and does not spurn his servants in their chains.
Let the heavens and the earth give him praise,
the sea and all its living creatures.
In your great love, answer me, O Lord.
Second reading | Romans 5:12-15 |
The gift considerably outweighed the fall
Sin entered the world through one man, and through sin death, and thus death has spread through the whole human race because everyone has sinned. Sin existed in the world long before the Law was given. There was no law and so no one could be accused of the sin of ‘law-breaking’, yet death reigned over all from Adam to Moses, even though their sin, unlike that of Adam, was not a matter of breaking a law.
Adam prefigured the One to come, but the gift itself considerably outweighed the fall. If it is certain that through one man’s fall so many died, it is even more certain that divine grace, coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free gift.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn1:14,12 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Word was made flesh and lived among us:
to all who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 10:26-33 |
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body
Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Do not be afraid. For everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops.
‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.
‘So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in the presence of men, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.’
HOLY FEAR IS THE WAY TO OVERCOME ALL FEARS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Jer 20:10-13; Ps 69:8-10,14,17,33-35; Rom 5:12-15; Mt 10:26-33]
In the Gospel, we are all called to stand up for Jesus and His teachings, even in the face of hostility and persecution. Indeed, the test of a true disciple is whether he is ready to commit himself to the Lord and His mission when opposition arises. Yet we know that even in our time, when secularism and relativism are the order of the day, many fear declaring their faith in Christ publicly. They worry it will be seen as insensitive to people of other religions or those without faith, or that disagreeing on moral issues will mean they are not being inclusive. Consequently, many Catholics find it safer to hide their faith and remain anonymous so that they do not have to explain themselves. However, the failure to speak up for the gospel and against evil already places us on the side of evil. Silence is a common way for Catholics to deny our Lord.
We can also deny the Lord through our uncharitable actions and words. Many of us live our lives in a way that is no different from those without faith and moral values. It is embarrassing for us when we read of a Catholic worker, professional, or businessman involved in a criminal breach of trust, dishonesty, cheating, scamming, or even violence. They discredit not just the Church but Christ Himself, because people will be scandalised. They will dismiss the Catholic faith as just another superstitious belief, or view us as hypocrites whose professed faith is merely a pretense that does not affect how we actually live.
So, most Catholics deny Jesus through cowardly silence or by their words and actions. These forms of denial amount to counter-witnessing. The Lord declares, “So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in the presence of men, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.” Keeping silent about Jesus and His teachings just to avoid persecution and embarrassment will ultimately result in eternal rejection by the Father. Smearing the name of the Church and our Lord through our bad example will cause the Father to disown us.
How, then, do we overcome our fear of standing up for Jesus or living a life that reflects the Gospel? Fear is a natural human reaction to threats against our life, security, comfort, and reputation. The physical and emotional pain that comes from external threats is real. We have a natural instinct to protect ourselves from anything that threatens our peace, physical security, and good name. We need to feel safe, accepted, and respected in society. We also fear sickness, poverty, hunger, or dangers that come from unexpected sources like accidents, natural disasters, or wars.
To overcome this crisis, we must strengthen our faith in God’s love and care for us. How does this happen? We need to transform human fear into a holy fear of God. This is a different kind of fear–one that does not cripple us, but sets us free. The fear of God is a holy fear. It is not a timid fear, but an awesome fear in the face of God’s greatness and power. It is a feeling of marvel and admiration. It leads to worship and praise when we see, for example, a miracle happening in our lives. Such holy fear is good because it means we recognise our finiteness and human limitations, moving us to trust in the power of God more than in ourselves. When we recognise our limitations, we remain humble even when we are doing well, because we know that God is the source of everything.
This was the holy fear encountered by the great prophets, apostles, and disciples of Christ. Jacob, Moses, and Isaiah all encountered the awesome majesty of God when they were called to fulfill their missions. So too did the apostles. St. Paul was converted when he encountered the Lord on the road to Damascus. The women of Jerusalem and the apostles went away with joy to announce the Good News because they had encountered the Risen Lord. Their lives were permanently changed by the awesome presence of God. Without this radical encounter with the Lord, our faith will remain weak. For most people, it will be a merely cerebral faith because there is no personal relationship with the Lord. In other words, He is not real to us; He is reduced merely to rituals and doctrines. However, if we encounter the holy God and develop a holy fear of Him, our lives will be radically transformed.
Only then can we appreciate our true dignity and place in the eyes of God. Jesus assured us that such fears can be overcome if only we recognise who we are and realise our eternal destiny. Firstly, He made it clear that we have not just a body, but an immortal soul. He said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell.” We must realise that our life on earth is short, but after death, our soul lives on in eternity. The world cannot destroy our soul because it is immortal. But God can condemn us to eternal death in hell–a state of misery from which we cannot escape, and where we are unable to annihilate ourselves from existence. That is why we must shift our fear from the destruction of our body to the fear of God.
Perhaps this is the real challenge of our time. People are fearful of their future, no matter how much they have, simply because they have lost their fear of God. Society, despite all its progress, is becoming increasingly anxious about the future–wondering if they will have enough for their families, their expenses, their medical needs, their safety while traveling, and especially their old age. This explains why so many people take out all kinds of insurance to prepare for an unexpected future. When we no longer fear God, we begin to worry more. When atheism gained traction in the 18th century, it was argued that the fear of God was the cause of man’s worries and fears. It was believed that if humans removed God from their lives and claimed their place as gods, they would be liberated from all fears. But the truth is that when man no longer fears God, he begins to fear his fellow man and the unknown future. When people no longer fear God, they do not fear eternal death; thus, they commit all kinds of evil deeds because they think that everything ends at death.
Secondly, holy fear is given to us when we encounter the Father’s love. Jesus said, “Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid.” If we know that God is looking after us, then we will no longer be afraid of the future. By fearing God, we know that He can do wonders in our lives–even more so because we are His sons and daughters, worth “more than hundreds of sparrows.” Truly, a healthy fear of God sets us free and helps us to judge things rightly and with wisdom. It is rooted in our certainty of God’s detailed care for each one of us.
Thirdly, a holy fear recognises God’s power and mercy. We are assured that even when we feel wronged or misunderstood, God will vindicate us. Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: “Do not be afraid. For everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear.” Truth will be revealed eventually, and we will be victorious in the end. Even our sins are forgiven if we have faith in Christ and seek God’s mercy through repentance and forgiveness. This is what St. Paul says about the victory of God: “If it is certain that through one man’s fall so many died, it is even more certain that divine grace, coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free gift.” The grace that comes from Christ is far more powerful than the sin that brought us eternal death
This was also the source of Jeremiah’s confidence in the Lord. He faced immense opposition in proclaiming the Word of God. Jeremiah said: “I hear so many disparaging me, ‘Terror from every side!’ Denounce him! All those who used to be my friends watched for my downfall.” He is an excellent example for us believers when we suffer for the sake of God’s word. We are called to take courage from God’s promise to Jeremiah, when He told him: “I for my part have made you today a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. They will fight against you; but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you.” (Jer 1:18-19)
Jeremiah held on to this promise even when he did not understand what was happening or where God was. In his dark night of the soul, he prayed, “But the Lord is at my side, a mighty hero; my opponents will stumble, mastered, confounded by their failure; everlasting, unforgettable disgrace will be theirs.” We, too, must remain steadfast in faith and love for God, surrendering everything into His hands, His divine wisdom, and His plan. We might seem powerless and defeated by the wicked, but God will vindicate us just as He vindicated Jesus! In the final analysis, fear can only be overcome by love. As St. John says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us.” (1 Jn 4:18-19)
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
