Jerome Pistoni sx
Reflection on the readings of the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
DO NOT BE AFRAID: Three times Jesus repeated this sentence to his apostles. These words could have been appropriate also for Jeremiah, who was terribly afraid. Why was Jeremiah so frightened? He, a shy and gentle man, was called by God to tell the authorities of his country that they are wrong. They were misleading the people promising them an easy victory against Nebuchadnezzar. But they would be defeated and taken into exile. The reaction of the authorities and the people was harsh, and we can xperience this ourselves through the words of the same Jeremiah: “ I hear so many disparaging me, ‘”Terror from every side!” Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’ All those who used to be my friends watched for my downfall, ‘Perhaps he will be seduced into error. Then we will master him and take our revenge!” Fifty years after the death and resurrection of Christ, the community of the evangelist Matthew went through the same experience. Official documents issued in the name of the emperor Domitian began with: “Our Lord and God commands you to do the following ….” He was the emperor who erected statues everywhere in his honour and demanded to be worshiped as a god. Many Christians refused to bow down before him; they took a brave decision that provoked the reaction of the authorities who decided to discriminate, maltreat, insult and even kill them. Discouragement and the temptation of following what the majority believed, started seeping in. That is why Matthew, who was also a pastor, recalled the words of Jesus and addressed them to his community, exhorting them to fan into a flame their shaky faith: Do not be afraid!! How could they not be afraid in the face of such terrible situations? Was it possible for Jeremiah and the disciples of Matthew to control fear when even life was at risk? Do we ourselves sometimes not experience anxiety because of our faith? We cannot avoid fear, but we can fight against the paralysis that fear provokes. Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane asked God to free him from the sufferings that were coming his way, but in the end he decided to accept the will of God and continue his mission to the end, in spite of the fear. We need reasons to control our fear and continue faithfully to live our Christian life, even in the face of threat. “The Lord is at my side …sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has delivered the souls of the needy from the hands of evil men”. Feeling the presence of God at his side is more than enough for Jeremiah. Jesus said to his disciples, and Matthew to his community: “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”. Only by cultivating our friendship with God, we can overpower terror and do what we ourselves would not believe we were able to do. Fr.
Reflection on the readings of the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
DO NOT BE AFRAID: Three times Jesus repeated this sentence to his apostles. These words could have been appropriate also for Jeremiah, who was terribly afraid. Why was Jeremiah so frightened? He, a shy and gentle man, was called by God to tell the authorities of his country that they are wrong. They were misleading the people promising them an easy victory against Nebuchadnezzar. But they would be defeated and taken into exile. The reaction of the authorities and the people was harsh, and we can xperience this ourselves through the words of the same Jeremiah: “ I hear so many disparaging me, ‘”Terror from every side!” Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’ All those who used to be my friends watched for my downfall, ‘Perhaps he will be seduced into error. Then we will master him and take our revenge!” Fifty years after the death and resurrection of Christ, the community of the evangelist Matthew went through the same experience. Official documents issued in the name of the emperor Domitian began with: “Our Lord and God commands you to do the following ….” He was the emperor who erected statues everywhere in his honour and demanded to be worshiped as a god. Many Christians refused to bow down before him; they took a brave decision that provoked the reaction of the authorities who decided to discriminate, maltreat, insult and even kill them. Discouragement and the temptation of following what the majority believed, started seeping in. That is why Matthew, who was also a pastor, recalled the words of Jesus and addressed them to his community, exhorting them to fan into a flame their shaky faith: Do not be afraid!! How could they not be afraid in the face of such terrible situations? Was it possible for Jeremiah and the disciples of Matthew to control fear when even life was at risk? Do we ourselves sometimes not experience anxiety because of our faith? We cannot avoid fear, but we can fight against the paralysis that fear provokes. Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane asked God to free him from the sufferings that were coming his way, but in the end he decided to accept the will of God and continue his mission to the end, in spite of the fear. We need reasons to control our fear and continue faithfully to live our Christian life, even in the face of threat. “The Lord is at my side …sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has delivered the souls of the needy from the hands of evil men”. Feeling the presence of God at his side is more than enough for Jeremiah. Jesus said to his disciples, and Matthew to his community: “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”. Only by cultivating our friendship with God, we can overpower terror and do what we ourselves would not believe we were able to do. Fr.