Do not be afraid!

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

Anxiety is a part of being human. Fear, worry, and anxiety show up together and feed into each other in the various situations where danger, perceived or real, lurks. It can be frustrating, and sometimes you just have to deal with it on your own terms. But sometimes, anxiety can be so overwhelming to the point of crippling us, the bleakness and uncertainty of the future may paralyse us to the point that we are unable to make any decision, process any thought or take any action. Despite our best efforts to suppress the feeling and get a hold of ourselves, we don’t ever seem to completely overcome its harsh grip.

In the first reading, we have the prophet Jeremiah bewailing his pitiful situation where he is being persecuted and hemmed in from all sides by his detractors, some of whom had been his friends. He complains that the Lord had ‘seduced’ him so that he cannot stop prophesying disaster. His suffering, pain and anxiety are real - there is no doubt about this. He understands that if he stops proclaiming the truth, the persecution will stop, his friends will return, the situation will normalise. But then instead of giving up and giving in, Jeremiah proclaims his faith: “But the Lord is at my side, a mighty hero …Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has delivered the soul of the needy from the hands of evil men.”

Rather than allow his emotional and physical torment to move him to abandon his mission, Jeremiah doubles down on his resolve to remain faithful, to persist in trusting God, despite all the challenges that are thrown at him. His story is a lesson for us too. When our hearts align with God’s values, we will view the dangers around us differently. Death, discomfort, and dire circumstances don’t have the same sting when we have God’s eternal perspective. When God’s values and our values align, we will understand what is most important and live out the purpose we were created for.

Throughout the gospels and especially in today’s gospel passage, our Lord repeatedly tells us, “do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid of speaking the Truth; do not be afraid of intimidation from those who wish to silence you: do not be afraid of opposition, persecution and even martyrdom at the hands of your enemies; do not be afraid because we are of great worth in the eyes of God. At the end of the day, do not be afraid of proclaiming the gospel.

There is no denying that it is tempting to stop preaching the gospel or to soften the message in order to make things easier and protect ourselves from suffering and opposition. It may seem for now that whatever is the Truth may be passed off by society as a lie, but we are assured by the Lord that those who bravely proclaim and defend the Truth will experience vindication one day. Even if the Truth seems obfuscated in our lifetime, one day, “everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear.”

Therefore, despite all the opposition and vilification which we will receive, Christians must continue to speak “in the daylight” and proclaim the gospel “from the housetops.” Such bold proclamations may lead to martyrdom, there is no denying that. But our Lord reminds us that the goal of a Christian witness is not just survival and personal safety but salvation. “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.” Therefore, we should fear God more than our persecutors. Tell the truth and risk the wrath of the mob. But tell a lie and risk the wrath of God. We should prefer the former to the latter. The martyrs whom we have encountered will testify to this.

At the end of the day, the real motivation for our decisions, our actions and our speech should not be the fear of public reaction but rather, the judgment from God. Our Lord tells us that He will acknowledge us before His Heavenly Father, if we stand resolutely to acknowledge Him before His enemies. His enemies may harm our bodies, but God will save our souls. We may be “cancelled” by the angry mob, but we will be affirmed by our loving God. But be warned, less we take God’s patience and mercy for granted. God will not hesitate to “cancel” us, if we choose to placate the mob for our political survival, rather than stand for what is true and good and morally right, and be saved from eternal damnation.

So, let us heed our Lord’s exhortation once again: “do not be afraid.” If you feel that heeding this is humanly impossible, our greatest example to follow would be the one who walked this path most perfectly, Our Blessed Mother. This is why the meditations of the Most Holy Rosary, are not just meditations concerning our Blessed Mother, but they concern her Son. There is no one who entered our Lord’s Passion more completely, experienced His wounds more deeply, agonised more bitterly or suffered more grievously with Him than His Mother. Yet, she refused to allow whatever pain, anxiety and anguish cripple her from keeping vigil by the cross and remaining steadfast at the death of her Son, despite the fact that she is now left a childless widow in a society which cares little for her kind.

After Jesus, there is no one on earth who has or will ever sacrifice more for the salvation of mankind, than the one who gave up her Son and her God to the most brutal violence and death on our behalf. If we follow Mary to the foot of the Cross and take her as our Mother and Teacher, we will come to learn most perfectly how to love sacrificially, how to unite with Jesus in His Passion, adore Him in His pains, and receive the infinite love and mercy that He offers us.

In 1381, King Richard II in Westminster Abbey dedicated England to Our Lady as he sought the protection of Our Lady in the face of great political turmoil. At this point, England received the title ‘Mary’s Dowry’; meaning that England was ‘set aside’ as a gift, a dowry, for Our Lady under her guidance and protection. After 3 centuries of destruction and religious persecution and suppression, the bishops of England had rededicated England once again to Mary in the year 2020, right in the middle of a raging pandemic. That ceremony may have attracted little attention from the media and the world, unlike the recent coronation of King Charles III, but for Catholics, it was a most significant act of devotion and faith by the Catholics who regard her as Queen. It takes great faith to believe that the splendour of the Catholic faith can ever be restored to a nation which has strayed so far from the goodness, truth and beauty which comes from God. It might take more than great faith; it might even take a miracle. It will certainly require the intercession of the saints, and the constant praying of the Rosary for the conversion of sinners and hearts.

As we draw to the end of our pilgrimage, let us look back with joy and thanksgiving at our whole journey. Certainly there were many moments of joy, mirth and camaraderie. Today, let us ask for the intercession of Our Lady of Walsingham, Our Lady of the Rosary, that we grow deeper in love and friendship, not just among ourselves, but with the one who showed us the true extent of love by His sacrifice on the cross.