20240713 GODLY FEAR OVERCOMES ALL OTHER FEARS
13 July 2024, Saturday, 14th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Isaiah 6:1-8 |
Isaiah's lips cleansed with a burning coal
In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord of Hosts seated on a high throne; his train filled the sanctuary; above him stood seraphs, each one with six wings: two to cover its face, two to cover its feet, and two for flying.
And they cried out to one another in this way,
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts.
His glory fills the whole earth.’
The foundations of the threshold shook with the voice of the one who cried out, and the Temple was filled with smoke. I said:
‘What a wretched state I am in! I am lost,
for I am a man of unclean lips
and I live among a people of unclean lips,
and my eyes have looked at the King, the Lord of Hosts.’
Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding in his hand a live coal which he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. With this he touched my mouth and said:
‘See now, this has touched your lips,
your sin is taken away,
your iniquity is purged.’
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying:
‘Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?’
I answered, ‘Here I am, send me.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 92(93):1-2,5 |
The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.
The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed;
the Lord has robed himself with might,
he has girded himself with power.
The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.
The world you made firm, not to be moved;
your throne has stood firm from of old.
From all eternity, O Lord, you are.
The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.
Truly your decrees are to be trusted.
Holiness is fitting to your house,
O Lord, until the end of time.
The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.
Gospel Acclamation | 1Jn2:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Whenever anyone obeys what Christ has said,
God’s love comes to perfection in him.
Alleluia!
Or: | 1P4:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
It is a blessing for you
when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ,
for the Spirit of God rests on you.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 10:24-33 |
Everything now hidden will be made clear
Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘The disciple is not superior to his teacher, nor the slave to his master. It is enough for the disciple that he should grow to be like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, what will they not say of his household?
‘Do not be afraid of them therefore. 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.’
GODLY FEAR OVERCOMES ALL OTHER FEARS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISA 6:1-8, MT 10:24-33]
The entire chapter 10 of St Matthew’s gospel deals with the instructions of Jesus to His apostles on what it takes to share in His apostolic mission. The short-sightedness of the apostles was that they wanted to share in His mission and in His glory but they were not ready to share in His cross. We remember the incident when James and John asked Jesus to allow them to be seated on His right and left when He came into His glory. Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant.” (cf Mt 20:22f) Indeed, many of us, even when serving in Church organizations, want to share in the joy of service or being acknowledged by others and appreciated, but we fail to realize that there is no crown without the cross.
Jesus warned the disciples that they would have to share in His sufferings before they could share in His glory. He said, “The disciple is not superior to his teacher, nor the slave to his master. It is enough for the disciple that he should grow to be like his teacher, and the slave like his master.” Like Jesus, the disciples will have to carry the cross of rejection after Him. We cannot be exempted from persecution if our master Himself had to go through ridicule, opposition and persecution even though He was doing good, helping the poor and bringing justice, peace and reconciliation. But He was considered a nuisance to society. So are we as well!
“If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, what will they not say of his household?” This is happening today, when evil is called good and good is called evil. The world has normalized evil and sin to be something good and acceptable. If we were to speak against same-sex union, euthanasia, abortion, IVF and promiscuity, we would be seen as the ones sowing seeds of hatred, division and discrimination. We must endorse what the world is subscribing to, that secularism is the answer to unity in the world and human progress. The world will twist and turn the message of the gospel from good news to bad news. Jesus warned His apostles, “Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God. And they will do this because they have not known the Father or me.” (Jn 16:2f)
But to share in His suffering is also a great privilege as well. We must consider ourselves privileged to suffer with Him for the salvation of humanity. We are walking the same path that the apostles walked before us and thousands of Christians who have sacrificed their lives for the gospel. This is what St Peter wrote to the Christians. “Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.” (1 Pt 3:15-18)
But we are fearful! But this is human and normal. Who is not afraid of pain, suffering, ridicule and rejection? Even the apostles who professed their allegiance to our Lord ran away when trouble came. Running away is how we respond to fear. But fear can also cause one to fight back rather than withdraw. How can we overcome fear?
Firstly, have confidence that the truth will prevail eventually. Jesus assured us, “Do not be afraid of them therefore. For everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear.” Darkness cannot overcome light. People can try to hide the light but the light will shine. The Church is what she is today only because thousands of Catholics have died and stood up for the faith. Through persecution, the Church’s faith will grow stronger and more purified. Indeed, only in persecution will we know the true Catholics from those who are merely nominal Catholics or fair-weather Catholics. Jesus assured us, “I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” (Jn 16:33)
Secondly, we can overcome fear only when we have truly heard from the Lord Himself speaking to us. Jesus said, “What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the house tops.” A teacher or a prophet must first hear the Word of God in his heart before he can proclaim convincingly to others. This is why a teacher and preacher must pray before he teaches or preaches. Only and unless he hears the Lord speaking to him, what he says will not convict the hearts of his listeners. We cannot proclaim the Lord with confidence unless we have first listened to Him. The secret weapon of every preacher is always in spending time before the Lord with the Word of God.
Thirdly, we are called to conquer fear by fearing God. In life there are different kinds of fears. We fear the Devil, we fear men, we fear suffering, and we fear God. The question is not fear but whom do we fear most. Only when we fear God most, can we overcome all the other fears. To fear God is a godly fear, not a slavish kind of fear. It is to recognize His wisdom, His power and His sovereignty. It is a reverential fear because of His holiness. Isaiah in the first reading recounts his godly fear when he encountered the holiness of God. He had a vision of God in the sanctuary. He saw the angels, and cried out, “What a wretched state I am in! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have looked at the King, the Lord of hosts.”
We must consider the prospect of losing our soul rather than our body. “Do not be afraid of those that kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell.” Losing our soul is an eternal loss. Losing our body is only temporary because we will share in Christ’s resurrection. When our choices today determine our future, then the suffering and sacrifices of this passing world is nothing compared to the eternal rewards of joy and peace we will have. This was what gave St Paul the impetus to struggle on each day in his mission. He said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (cf 2 Tim 4:6-8)
Indeed, perhaps the greatest fear we should have is the fear of being disowned by the Lord. Jesus said, “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.” If we are loyal to Christ, He will be loyal to us. St Paul urges us not to deny the Lord. (cf 2 Tim 2:12f) So we must take care never to deny the Lord whether by our words, our silence or by our deeds. In all that we do, we must show ourselves as followers of Christ by our actions. To stand by the Lord is to let the Christ be seen in us. (cf 2 Pt 3:15) So let us take courage in the Lord because He will look after us. He said, “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.” Jesus will look after us just as He looked after the apostles and supplied them the strength to bear the trials of the apostolate. When the time comes, He will give us the Holy Spirit. (Lk 12:11f) So let us not worry too much. When the time comes, He will supply us His grace and strength. So long as we stay close to Him, He will be with us until the end of time.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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