Sunday reflection for 12th Sunday A
God will not disappoint your trust
1. ✠A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (10:26-33 )
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.’
2. Today’s readings focus on the need to be confident and courageous in the face of persecution and opposition coming because of our faith. In the first reading (Jer20:10-13), the prophet Jeremiah was surrounded by hostile people who sought to destroy him because of his prophetic mission. According to him, it was “terror on every side.” In the midst of his fears he declared his confidence in God: “But the Lord is on my side a mighty hero. My opponents will stumble…unforgetable disgrace will be theirs.” In spite of the horrible reality on ground, his confidence in God was unshakeable. He knows that God does not disappoint those who trust in him. God proved him right by delivering him.
3. In the gospel Jesus further developed this theme of confidence in God. He invited his disciples not to live in fear of any human being. His reason are:
a. Human beings are mere mortals. Their power to harm is limited to the flesh. They can only kill the body which naturally is mortal but they have no power ovee the soul, the main principle of life. Yes, fear can push us away from trusting God but we should know that God has power over the body and the soul. He alone deserves our fear. He is the only one whose conflict we must avoid at all cost.
b. Nothing evil can happen to anything or person if God has not authorized it. Jesus cited the example of the birds of the air that could be bought with a penny, meaning that their value is minimal. None of these birds can fall to the ground if God has not allowed it. In this way, Jesus shows that nothing about any human person escapes the omnipotent vigilance of God. He deserves to be trusted because without him nothing can be.
c. God is very interested in each human person, so much so that he knows the number of hairs on each person’s head. He is interest in the minutest detail of our existence.
By saying these things, Jesus underlines the fact that if God is with anyone, nobody can really stand against the person and succeed.
4. If we put the readings together we get a single message, namely: God is incapable of abandoning those who trust in him in their moments of trial. The history of Israel recorded in the Bible bears ample testimony to this claim. We can think of the deliverance from Egypt in the entire book of Exodus. We can think of the story of the three young men and king Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter 3. We can think of Suzanna and the corrupt elders in Daniel chapter 13. We remember the encounter of Queen Esther and He-man in book of Esther. The history of early christians who were persecuted for years and their eventual freedom with the Edict of Milan by Emperor Constantine in 313 AD, all show that God deserves to be trusted.
5. in concrete terms, what do we take home from today’s readings? Three things:
1. Stand by your faith even when faced with opposition. Today many people are either afraid or ashamed to be identified with the christian faith. Many people will prefer to wear a medal with the image a beast than a simple crucifix with the image of Jesus. They are afraid but in doing so they are subtly denying their master who will eventually deny them before his Father in heaven.
2. Do not partner with the wicked because of the fear of losing his friendship. Many people, out of fear or respect for the powerful, have sacrificed their souls to the devil. They continue to do what they know to be evil out of fear of displeasing a mortal. Who are those used in rigging elections last February in Nigeria? It is those who are either afraid or greedy or both. They were afraid of those who can only kill the body and forgot about the one who after killing the body will detain the soul in hell.
3. Remember that your God is one who can deliver those who trust in him. The testimonies of many who believe in God have shown that our God delivers from death. He may not always respond in the manner that we desire him to respond but he can never abandon those who trust in him. That is why Jesus invites us not to be afraid in the face of the present day challenges.
6. We live in a country where fear and worry have become a normal way of life. Today, Jesus invites you to learn to put your fears and worries in the hands of God who, like a father, is interested in your having a good life. Never forget that all the hairs of your head are numbered by God. Not a single one of these can fall to the ground without his knowledge. He will never leave you alone.
©Vita, 25/06/23
vanaehobi@yahoo.cim
