By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, C.S.Sp. | Jer 20:10-13; Ps 69; Rom 5:12-15; Mt 10:26-33
Dear Friends in Christ,
There is a story of a little boy who was sent by his mother to go to the storeroom and get the bucket for her. The boy complained that it was too dark in the storeroom and he was afraid. The mother insisted, saying to him, “Don’t be afraid, my son. You know Jesus is there.” That gave him a bit of encouragement. With great apprehension, the boy opened the door of the storehouse and called out with a trembling voice: “Jesus, can you hand me the bucket, please?”
In the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not be afraid.” He had to say it three times. Perhaps the disciples were already showing signs of fear when Jesus was sending them to go preach the gospel. Though the words, “Fear not” appear 365 times in the Bible indicating that God wants us to live each day of the year without fear, fear remains a daily experience of the human race.
The first reading this Sunday gives us the same message. Jeremiah was constantly threatened by his enemies to who he was sent to proclaim the word of God. Not that he was a bad person. On the contrary, as prophet, he was God’s instrument in proclaiming the truth to the people. But for some people, the truth hurts. So they could not accept God’s message. And the most logical thing to do would be to silence the messenger to prevent the message from getting to the people. They made every effort to intimidate Jeremiah. At some point, even those Jeremiah considered to be his friends joined his enemies to seek his fall.
Jeremiah loved to live a peaceful and unperturbed life before God entrusted him with a difficult mission, which brought him into conflict with the authorities – the kings, priests and false prophets. He was given the task of challenging the people to keep the covenant they made with God or face the wrath of God. He emphasized the need for a deep personal relationship with God instead of the superficial religion, which the people practiced. His message was too hard for the people and they saw him as a prophet of doom. They shouted, “Let us denounce him” (Jeremiah 20:10). Proclaiming the truth can bring negative consequences to the one who proclaims it. This is the lot of most prophets. They were either killed or rejected by their own people. After the prophets, God spoke to His people through His Son, Jesus Christ. He, too, suffered the same fate. So, we can understand why Jesus had to speak the words three times: do not be afraid.
Jesus constantly used this exhortation to encourage his disciples not to be overwhelmed by the dangers they might encounter in the mission. Having told them all that would happen to them in the course of their life and ministry, how they would be put out of the Synagogue and at some point those who kill them would consider it as offering service to God, he concluded by saying, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). When the mission brought them into confrontation with the authorities of the time, they already knew that they needed not be afraid. But that does not take away the fact that fear is a constant challenge which every believer must constantly pray and struggle to overcome. The reasons are obvious.
The first law of nature is self-preservation. Instinctively, we avoid pain and sufferings. That is natural. Looking at the lives of the apostles and what they went through can be terrifying to someone trying to live the truth of his faith in some circumstances that are hostile to the truth. Imagine the experience of Paul recounted in 2Cor 11:24-27. Five times he received thirty-nine lashes at the hands of the Jews. Beaten with rods three times, coupled with shipwrecks and all kinds of dangers on the journey, especially what he described as dangers among false brothers.
In the face of such a grave duty to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom, however, we have to be courageous and move on despite all odds. Jesus did not mix words when he warned “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33). That was not meant to be a threat but a reminder of the reciprocity that is involved in witnessing. We cannot get what we deny. If fear keeps us away from doing something, we cannot get the result doing it should bring.
Let’s face it. Most of the wrongs that we do come about as a result of fear. Why do people tell lies and even go ahead to defend it? Perhaps it is because the truth may not be to their own advantage and they are not willing to put up with the consequences. Why do people resort to dishonesty and all kinds of unjust practices to gain temporal economic advantage? Mostly like because they do not want to lose their wealth, and the prospect of undergoing economic difficulties scares them. Why are people hesitant to fully give themselves in love? Perhaps because they have been hurt before, and they cannot allow themselves to get hurt again. Why are we reluctant to speak about the Lord and the hard truths of his teachings? It could be that we are afraid to be ridiculed by society. The list can go on and on. In all these, one conclusion is clear: self-interest is the root cause of all our fears. Jesus was aware of this when he laid down the condition of discipleship: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mt 16:24).
If that is the case, why then did Jesus ask his disciples not to be afraid? It is simple: because our security is to be found in Him, and not in the world. When we give ourselves over to Jesus, we develop a new way of perceiving the world and all its fears and troubles. We the realize that true peace can only be found in God and in his principles which his word gives us. That is the peace Jeremiah, Paul and all the apostles had when they put their fears and troubles in the hands of God. Then like the little boy we will realize that Jesus is with us always. We do not have to be afraid.