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Gospel: Luke 12:1-7
At that time:
So many people were crowding together
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,
“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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The words, “Do not be afraid,” appear more than 100 times in the bible.
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It’s what Moses told the Israelites while the Lord was leading them out slavery in Egypt into the Promised Land.
“Do not be afraid.”
They’re the same words the Archangel Gabriel spoke to Mary before she conceived in her womb.
“Do not be afraid.”
It’s what Jesus tells his disciples in today’s Gospel and, again, after his resurrection. Hard days were ahead for those early Christians, but Jesus tells them: “Do not be afraid.”
Some 2,000 years later, after Communism fell in Europe, Pope John Paul II reminded Catholics around the world, “Do not be afraid.”
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It’s a timely message for all of us.
People around the world are still afraid of COVID; afraid of returning to work; afraid of not finding a job; afraid of a health scare; afraid of their children losing faith; afraid of being alone.
Jesus is with us! He’s stronger than the trials we face.
Whatever God wants us to accomplish in this world, we will do through Christ who strengthens us.
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“Do not be afraid,” Jesus says, “I have overcome the world.”
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Image credits: (1) Catholic Life, Diocese of Lacrosse (2) Pantocrator (3) Dominican Sisters of Mary, sistersofmary.org