Don't be afraid! The Lord cares! By Fr Charles Shoyombo CDA

Reflection for  12th Sunday A in Ordinary Time.  

Neuroscientists say its normal to be afraid and the capacity to fear is part of the brain function while a lack of fear may be a sign of serious brain damage. Sometimes, you don’t need to be in danger to be scared. The fear of writing exams, public speaking, a new job, a dark and confined place, the fear of the unknown and the fear of fear can be scary and troubling. However, your fear response is amplified if you are already in a state of fear because it limits the number of things you can do and disrupts the coordination response. 

If you are afraid of flight and height, you might not travel very far, and if you are fearful of speaking the truth because people will feel uncomfortable, you will be neutral to the gospel values. Christianity has a history of fearless martyrs whose heads rolled because they didn't worship on conventional altar nor aligned to the diluted interpretation of doctrine while they deviated from political correctness. Besides, they are heroes of faith, because they believe that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the end to human fears even when they attempt to kill the body. 

In the gospel text of today, Jesus reassures us not to be afraid or be bullied to silence when it comes to matters of faith because our allegiance should be to God. In the book “Signs of contradiction”, Pope John Paul II refers us to the life of Christ as predicted by Prophet Simeon; he was destined for the rising and the falling of many: a sign to be rejected. Christ forewarns the disciples to await the same treatment of opposition, rejection and persecution (Mt 10:22). It is not very easy to respond positively when we are confronted by people and authorities who might abuse, arrest, torture or even execute us for preaching and living the undiluted Gospel. 

Jesus himself was done to death by the conspiracy of fears by those who had compromised themselves for religious powers, gains and money. John the Baptist didn't run; Oscar Romero didn't shy away from the truth, so also the numerous Christians in war-torn zones and hotspots in the world. Thus, you and I are challenged today to take a clue from prophet Jeremiah in the first reading who gives inspiration to those who believe in a just cause; he stood his ground in the face of the opposition. Though, he had his fears and doubts, almost throwing in the towel when the persecution heightened but didn’t succumb to the pressure and worldly standards. He held unto God, he reactivated his trust in God and became an overcomer. A real hero of faith.

We live in a world with many standards and our faith in God may be judged with double or multiple standards. It’s a world that desperately needs to hear the call to conversion, but the deafening silence and response show the message isn’t right to the ears. It takes moral courage to stand alone for the truth or challenge the anomalies in our group or community without risking being opposed and countered by the big wigs. At various points, the church has addressed the issue of poverty in the world, supported campaigns for a decent living wage and the provision of more affordable housing but not without attack and hostility. What do you expect to get in a world that cherry-picks truth and values, pitching a tent with indifference and convenience? Wole Soyinka says, ‘the man died’ when we keep quiet in the face of injustice and oppression because for evil to triumph, all that is required is that the good people would say nothing.   

Fear dictates our actions, its either we freeze, fight, flight or fright. The devil continually tries to get us to be fearful and “Men’s hearts are failing them for fear” (Lk 21; 26) but God didn’t give us a spirit of fear (2Tim 1: 7). In the hierarchy of fears, what do your fear more, the loss of your body or the eternal loss of your soul? The lives of some saints indicated the battleground from souls snatched from the evil spirit, the more the threat, the more heroic the actions. Heroic confessors like John Mary Vianney, Padre Pio had to suffer severe assault from the enraged despot of darkness. Ironically, the world prefers darkness (John 3:19), so when we speak out, there will be pushed back because light and darkness can't be contained. There will be challenges to break some circles of evils being perpetrated in the world, especially the systemic and institutionalised evils where people have sold their souls and principles. Do you join them or leave them? 

St Paul reminds us of the power of grace despite the reality of sin. The world is easily contaminated by sin, and the infection spreads from one person to another, bringing death upon death. Sin is like coronavirus, it came through one person, and it has spread so fast that many have suffered from the dread and death of the disease. It takes one person to show light; it takes one person to cause darkness. However, the chain can be broken; the chain of sin can be cut from spreading through our good disposition to do things rightly. Be ready to make the difference because goodness is a terrifying threat to those whose consciences are compromised with evil. If we weigh the power of sin, how much more it is with grace. Have we thought about the ‘good infection’ of grace and love? Grace is much more powerful than sin, and it can acquit all sin. So, let us pass it on.

Dear friends in Christ, we are called to a life of faith, which is the only way we can drown our fears in the world. Faith strengthens and overcomes where fear paralyses us. Jesus strengthens his disciples, despite their hardships, the Lord cares for them. if the Lord can care for the sparrows, He wants us to know he cares about you and me. God can take care of our today and our tomorrow. God knows everything there is to know about us: our fears and aversions, our thoughts and dreams. Let us not keep a whispering voice in matters of truth and justice when we can proclaim it on the hilltop as silence is part of the violence. Let us exercise the social teachings of the church guided by the scripture to speak and promote the Gospel values regardless of the countless threats and constant harassment. We are called to be fearless preachers of the word and sacrament while living authentically in the world. Like Jeremiah, we shall come out victorious because God is on our side. 

Happy Sunday!