Matthew 10:26-33

Jeremiah 20:10-13

Psalm 69:9-10, 14, 17, 33-35

Romans 5:12-15

Matthew 10:26-33

Jesus said to the Twelve:

“Fear no one.

Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,

nor secret that will not be known.

What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;

what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.

And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;

rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy

both soul and body in Gehenna.

Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?

Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.

Even all the hairs of your head are counted.

So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Everyone who acknowledges me before others

I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.

But whoever denies me before others,

I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, refuge of the poor and defender of those who trust in you, strengthen us when fear, opposition, or discouragement surround us. As you delivered Jeremiah and revealed your saving power, grant us courage to proclaim your truth without shame. Through your abundant mercy, rescue us from sin and deepen our confidence in your providential care, that we may praise your holy name before all peoples.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Four Reasons Not to Fear: The Gospel is taken from the second major sermon in Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus has just told his disciples that they will be rejected, persecuted, and killed (Matthew 10:14-25). Now, he tells them: “Fear no one.” Jesus then gives four reasons why we should not be afraid. First, all of our deeds – whether good or evil – are known to God. The evil that Jesus’ disciples face will not go unpunished. The good that we do on behalf of the Kingdom will not go unrewarded. Second, physical persecution can harm the body but, in itself, does not harm the soul. While we should not fear our fellow human beings, we should have a healthy fear of falling into the temptations of the devil, who seeks to harm our bodies and our souls. The third reason we should not fear those who persecute us is that the Father cares for us much more than other creatures. A fourth reason not to fear is that Jesus is our advocate and stands before the Father, interceding for us as our heavenly high priest.

2. Jeremiah’s Prophetic Ministry: In the First Reading, we hear Jeremiah’s lament that he is surrounded by people who wish to harm him. The background to this lament is that the Lord commissioned Jeremiah to stand in the Benjamin Gate of Jerusalem and call Judah to repentance and Sabbath observance. Jeremiah promised that if the people continued to violate the Sabbath by working and carrying burdens in and out of Jerusalem on the holy day, they would be destroyed. But if the people repented, royalty and abundant commerce would flow to the Temple through the Benjamin Gate in perpetuity (Jeremiah 17:19-27). Jeremiah took his message to the Temple (Jeremiah 19:14-15), but was arrested, beaten, and placed in stocks by Pashhur, the chief priest (Jeremiah 20:1-2). In response to these experiences, Jeremiah cried out in complaint to the Lord that his prophetic ministry has meant nothing but suffering for him. Despite the threats against his life, Jeremiah trusts in the Lord: “the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.” Jeremiah knows that his suffering is a test from the Lord and, one day, the Lord will vindicate him and punish his persecutors. Jeremiah ends his lament with praise: “Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!”

3. Adam’s Sin and Christ’s Gift: In the Letter to the Romans, Paul reflects on the origin of our sinful human condition. He undertakes a comparison between Adam and Christ and brings out their differences. The sin of Adam led to spiritual death, the death of our original union with God. This separation from God was transmitted to all of humanity. Before the giving of the Law of Moses at Sinai, there was sin in the world. But humanity was not guided by a divinely revealed law. Paul suggests that between Adam and Moses, people were less culpable for their sins. People still had the natural moral law to guide them, yet they still sinned. But when the people of Israel broke the Law at Mt. Sinai, this was a serious transgression and was akin to the original sin of Adam. All humanity and Israel needed a savior. Just as the sin of one affected the many, so also the gift of one affects the many. While Adam’s original sin led to the spiritual death of humanity, Christ’s gracious gift offers eternal life to us.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you conquered sin and death by your saving grace and call us to acknowledge you before the world. Free us from fear of human judgment and fill us with confidence in your loving care, for not even a sparrow falls apart from the Father’s will. Help us bear faithful witness to your Gospel, trusting that you will confess us before the Father in heaven.

Living the Word of God: When have I remained silent about my faith, values, or convictions out of fear of criticism or rejection? How is God inviting me to trust him more deeply and speak the truth with charity and courage? Do I entrust my anxieties, struggles, and future to God’s providence, or do I rely primarily on my own strength? How can I cooperate more fully with Christ’s grace and become an instrument of hope, mercy, and encouragement to others this week?