20220712 OVERCOMING OUR FEAR OF OUR ENEMIES
12 July, 2022, Tuesday, 15th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Isaiah 7:1-9 © |
Isaiah tells the king not to fear
In the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Razon the king of Aram went up against Jerusalem with Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, to lay siege to it; but he was unable to capture it.
The news was brought to the House of David. ‘Aram’ they said ‘has reached Ephraim.’ Then the heart of the king and the hearts of the people shuddered as the trees of the forest shudder in front of the wind. The Lord said to Isaiah, ‘Go with your son Shear-jashub, and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the Fuller’s Field road, and say to him:
‘“Pay attention, keep calm, have no fear,
do not let your heart sink
because of these two smouldering stumps of firebrands,
or because Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah
have plotted to ruin you, and have said:
Let us invade Judah and terrorise it
and seize it for ourselves,
and set up a king there,
the son of Tabeel.
The Lord says this:
It shall not come true; it shall not be.
The capital of Aram is Damascus,
the head of Damascus, Razon;
the capital of Ephraim, Samaria,
the head of Samaria, the son of Remaliah.
Six or five years more
and a shattered Ephraim shall no longer be a people.
But if you do not stand by me,
you will not stand at all.”’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 47(48):2-8 © |
God upholds his city for ever.
The Lord is great and worthy to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain rises in beauty,
the joy of all the earth.
God upholds his city for ever.
Mount Zion, true pole of the earth,
the Great King’s city!
God, in the midst of its citadels,
has shown himself its stronghold.
God upholds his city for ever.
For the kings assembled together,
together they advanced.
They saw; at once they were astounded;
dismayed, they fled in fear.
God upholds his city for ever.
A trembling seized them there,
like the pangs of birth.
By the east wind you have destroyed
the ships of Tarshish.
God upholds his city for ever.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:24 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Train me, Lord, to observe your law,
to keep it with my heart.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ps94:8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 11:20-24 © |
It will not go as hard with Sodom on Judgement Day as with you
Jesus began to reproach the towns in which most of his miracles had been worked, because they refused to repent.
‘Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. And still, I tell you that it will not go as hard on Judgement day with Tyre and Sidon as with you. And as for you, Capernaum, did you want to be exalted as high as heaven? You shall be thrown down to hell. For if the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have been standing yet. And still, I tell you that it will not go as hard with the land of Sodom on Judgement day as with you.’
OVERCOMING OUR FEAR OF OUR ENEMIES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [IS 7:1-9, MT 11:20-24]
We all have our fears in life. Fears cripple us from living our lives meaningfully and take away the freedom to live and love. It is only natural for us to fear because it is human. As human beings, we know that we are finite and limited. We fear for our lives and we fear pain, not just physical pain but emotional pain, which is even worse. We fear almost everything: ourselves, our loved ones, our future, our job, our society and the rest of humanity.
Our enemies are from within and without. We fear our enemies from without, just like the King of Judah who was under threat from external enemies. The kings of Israel, the Northern Kingdom, were in alliance with the King of Aram (Syria) to attack Judah the Southern Kingdom. He was fearful for his life and his kingdom. It was in such a situation of fear and discouragement that the prophet came to assure the king and to console him. But the real fear is ultimately from within. We are our own worst enemy. Because we lack confidence in ourselves, our fear causes us to make rash and foolish decisions. We lose faith in ourselves and in the situation. We begin to panic and shudder “as the trees of the forest shudder in front of the wind.”
Why are we fearful? Firstly, because we do not believe that God is in charge of the world and everything is within His divine plan. We want to be in control, like the King of Judah. But God told him, “It shall not come true; it shall not be. The capital of Aram is Damascus, the head of Damascus, Razon; the capital of Ephraim, Samaria, the head of Samaria, the son of Remaliah.” To illustrate this prophecy, Isaiah was asked to bring his son along to see the King. His son’s name meant ‘the remnants will return’. “Go with your son Shear-jashub and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the Fuller’s Field road.” Indeed, God had all His plans under control. Judah would never be destroyed but the remnants will return. This prophecy was fulfilled when the exiles returned from Babylon under the Persian King.
Secondly, we fear because we do not believe that God is our army commander, as the psalmist tells us. He will fight the battle for us and will not allow His holy city to be destroyed because Jerusalem is His dwelling place. The psalmist declares, “God upholds his city for ever. The Lord is great and worthy to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain rises in beauty, the joy of all the earth. Mount Zion, true pole of the earth, the Great King’s city! God, in the midst of its citadels, has shown himself its stronghold.” The enemies were thwarted by the power of God, not of human hands or might. “For the kings assembled together, together they advanced. They saw; at once they were astounded; dismayed, they fled in fear. A trembling seized them there, like the pangs of birth. By the east wind you have destroyed the ships of Tarshish.” Not by might but by the power of the Holy Spirit, will we overcome all trials.
Thirdly, we fear because we forget the miracles He has worked in our lives, like the Israelites and the Jews during the time of Jesus. This was the denouncement of Jesus and judgement on His contemporaries. “Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” Indeed, we often forget the grace of God we have received. We forget all those times when the Lord had helped us again and again. This was the same mistake of the Israelites. They were delivered from their enemies by the Lord and all they needed was to trust Him but they forgot that God was the Lord of Hosts.
How do we overcome our fears? We need to have faith in the Lord, unlike King Ahaz and the Jews. This is what the Lord is saying to us all in our tribulations. “Pay attention, keep calm, have no fear, do not let your heart sink because of these two smouldering stumps of firebrands, or because Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah have plotted to ruin you.” Do not fear! Keep your serenity. Do not be discouraged. He will see to it that all things will end well.
How do we grow in faith and trust in the Lord? We must listen attentively to the Word of God. This is what the Prophet commands us, “Pay attention!” We must let the Word of God strike our hearts to repentance. We must come to realize our mistakes and what have brought us to this situation and repent. Unless we listen to the Word of God, we will never come to understand ourselves and learn from our mistakes. Through the Word of God, we find inspiration and encouragement. Most of all, through the Word of God, we discern where the Lord is leading us. The Lord who is our shepherd will always lead us to the greener pastures of life when we think we are in the valley of tears.
There is a warning that if we do not listen and repent, then we will be destroyed by our fears and stubbornness of heart. The prophet warned the king, “Six or five years more and shattered Ephraim shall no longer be a people. But if you do not stand by me, you will not stand at all.” This was what happened to the Israelites who were destroyed, not by Aram (Syria) and the northern Kingdom of Israel but by Assyria. Today, we are called to stand by the Lord or else we will fall. This is the same message of Jesus. We read that “Jesus began to reproach the towns in which most of his miracles had been worked, because they refused to repent.” He lamented, “For if the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have been standing yet. And still, I tell you that it will not go as hard as the land of Sodom on Judgement day as with you.”
Will we stand with Jesus? Will we stand up for God? Will we be strong in the Lord? If we trust Him and listen to Him, He will show us the way and He will lead us to the fullness of life, freed from fear and all the bondages that come with it. We must set ourselves free in the name of Jesus, as the psalmist prays, “Let God arise, let his enemies scatter, let his opponents flee before him. You disperse them like smoke; as wax melts in the presence of a fire, so the wicked melt at the presence of God. The upright rejoice in the presence of God, delighted and crying out for joy.” (Ps 68:1-3)
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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