Theme

Twelfth Sunday of the Year *22^ndJune 2008*
Theme :	*‘Be not afraid! I will take care of you!’*
1st. Reading:	Jeremiah 20: 10-13
2nd Reading:	Romans 5: 12-15
Gospel :	Matthew 10: 26-33

Dear Friend,

If we are honest we have all to admit that we are all frightened people, we all have something or another that we are afraid of! Of course it is human to be afraid but when fear paralyzes us and prevents us from doing what we can do then our fears have got the better of us and we are no more free. We can get rid of some of our fears by facing them or by analysing them and talking about them to a confidant. But there are some fears we can only overcome by trusting in God. “Be not afraid, I will take care of you” says Jesus to us! Have a courageous weekend finding strength in the Lord!

Fr. Jude Botelho

This first reading from Jeremiah tells us of the difficulties and trials of the prophet as he tries to preach God’s message to the Israelites. He fearlessly told the king and his henchmen that their kingdom was going to be ruined. He did not mince words and told them that this would happen because they had abandoned God and his law. The prophet lived out his vocation during times of great turmoil and stress. Jerusalem was destroyed and the temple was in ruins. The people hated the prophet for his condemnation of their behaviour and his predictions of doom. He lived with constant threats on his life. Yet he remained faithful to his preaching. What helped the prophet to remain faithful to his vocation was his firm conviction that God was on his side. “The Lord is on my side, a mighty hero!”

I am not afraid of dying!
When Oscar Romero was made bishop of San Salvador he was a conservative, but he changed when he saw what was happening. Every Sunday he preached at the Cathedral. His homilies so electrified the country that national affairs halted when he spoke from the altar. He made public the unspeakable crimes being committed, many by agents of the government. He was under constant threat of death. Some of his best friends were murdered. And still he would not be silenced. Nor would he go into hiding or exile. “At the first sight of danger the shepherd cannot run and leave the sheep to fend for themselves. I will stay with my people.” He said. He was shot dead in March 1980 while saying mass. According to Romero it didn’t take courage. All it took was the understanding that his enemies dealt in fear, and he was not afraid of them, they would have no power over him. They might be able to kill his body, but they could not and would not kill his soul and spirit.
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’

In the second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, Paul draws a contrast between Christ and Adam: sin came into the world through Adam; abundant grace came through Jesus Christ. If it is certain that through the sin of Adam and our own sinfulness we have paid the price and have lost grace it is even more certain that through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ we have more than merited salvation. Every action of ours has its repercussion on mankind and every sin has its social impact on the sinfulness of this world. But God’s grace given through Jesus is even greater, and because of him every person who lives in grace brings down tremendous blessings on this world.

Thinking of the other person
As Gandhi stepped aboard a train one day, one of his shoes slipped off and landed on the track. He was unable to retrieve it as the train was moving. To the amazement of his companions, Gandhi took off his other shoe and threw it back along the track to land close to the first. Asked by a fellow passenger why he did so, Gandhi smiled. “The poor fellow who finds the shoe lying on the track,” he replied, “will now have a pair he can use.”
Author Unknown - First quoted in ‘The Little Brown Book of Anecdotes’

When Jesus sent his apostles out to proclaim openly and to witness to him before the world, he knew they would be fearful. They had good reason to be fearful, knowing that they would have to face persecution and hardship. So not once but three times he said to them, “Do not be afraid.” The followers of Jesus knew what religious bigotry was present and how their religious leaders and Romans treated religious squabbles. Jesus knew that his apostles were afraid. He understood their fears and took them seriously. When he said: “Do not be afraid” he was addressing their fears and trying to allay them. He was trying to give them courage. He was trying to move them beyond fear, knowing that fear could make them so timid as to be unable to fulfil their mission. How did he suggest they might overcome their fears? He wasn’t telling them to forget their fears. He urged them to have complete trust in God and total reliance on Him. This God whom they had come to know, this God whose loving face he was revealing to them; this God who lovingly watches over life and death of even the smallest and least valuable of his creatures, the sparrows. Sparrows are cheap yet nothing happens to them, none falls to the ground without the Father’s knowing. If He cares for them, how much more does he not care for you and me? Jesus assures his disciples that God knows every detail of our life, even every hair on our head is counted! God’s care for us infinitely surpasses our comprehension. Jesus tells his disciples not to be afraid of those who can kill the body, but can do no more; such people cannot kill the soul. Jesus was trying to move the disciples from fear to trust. Fear creates suspicion, distance, defensiveness and insecurity. Trust leads to closeness, intimacy and a sense of security. Our relationship with God should not be based on fear but on trust and love. Good religion makes a person fearless, Bad religion increases one’s fear. Fear and worry are an insult to God. This does not mean that religion will remove insecurities and problems from our lives. Faith is not a comforting illusion that all is well. Rather, it means to know that life is full of risk, full of insecurity, and yet to rejoice in it –that is the essence of faith. Jesus concludes reminding his apostles that they are called to be witnesses, people who are unafraid to be seen to be followers of his in the midst of a sceptical and sometimes hostile world. The task is difficult and only by God’s grace and strength can we be faithful witnesses. We have to stand up and be counted -this requires a special kind of courage. This courage can only come from faith!

I don’t despair about kids today
“Sometimes when I am flying from one speaking assignment to another I find myself sitting next to someone who’s quite talkative. Sad to say, there are times when I’m sitting next to someone who just wants to vent his spleen or inflict his political views on a captive audience for 600 miles. It was one of those days. I settled myself resignedly, as my seatmate began his disquisition on the terrible state of the world with the timeworn, “You know, kids today are….” He went on and on, sharing vague notions of the terrible state of teens and young adults, based on watching the six o’clock news rather selectively. When I gratefully disembarked that plane and finally made it to my hotel in Indianapolis, I bought the local paper, and went to have dinner in the hotel. There on the inside page, was an article I believe ought to have made the front-page headline news. In a little Indiana town, there was a fifteen year old boy with brain tumour. He was undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments. As a result of those treatments, he had lost all of his hair. I don’t know about you, but I remember how I would have felt about that at his age. I would have been mortified. The young man’s classmates spontaneously came to his rescue: all the boys of his class asked their mothers if they could shave their heads so that Brian would not be the only bald boy in the high school. There, on that page, was a photograph of a mother shaving all of her son’s hair with the family looking on approvingly. And in the background, a group of similarly bald young men. So I don’t despair about kids today!
Hanoch McCarthy in ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’

Film –Erin Brockovich (2000)
"Erin Brockovich" is essentially a film about empowerment. A mother of three children is unemployed and has no source of income. She decides that she has to find a job at all costs. In her work at a small law firm, she discovers that she has very little respect from the other employees. She comes to believe that the women of the firm are jealous of her physical attributes when she is asked to change to more appropriate work clothing. She dreams of one day having a job where she is respected for what she brings to her position. She dreams of being viewed as a person of integrity. As the story unfolds, Erin develops a friendship with her boss that only strengthens with time because of her hard work and determination to do a good job. He strongly affirms Erin with several votes of confidence. As Erin works on her case, she receives acceptance from her co-workers gradually and also from those whom she wants to sign the petition. She also is required to show some great courage when she receives some threats to her family. Her case in a small California town that is plagued by bad water requires endurance from her and from her children and boyfriend/neighbor. The film depicts a journey of self-discovery for Erin. She finds that there are many obstacles that she must overcome, including dealing with the tension of not being with her children as much as she would like when she is working on her project for the town. The tension between working and not working is a strong one for Erin, who does not have the benefits of child support for her three children. As she gains the trust of the town, a sense of community between these people develops. They begin to understand that all of their medical problems are interconnected and that by joining together as one community they have a greater chance of achieving their goals. At the end of the film, Erin shows great joy at her accomplishments as a committed and courageous person in the working world.
Valerie Lyson Humphreys in films for ‘The Text this Week’

You have a heart of a mouse!
Once upon a time there was a mouse that had a crippling fear of cats. A magician took pity on it and turned it into a cat. But then it became afraid of dogs. So the magician turned it into a dog. Then it became afraid of panthers. So the magician turned it into a panther. Then it became afraid of hunters. At this point the magician gave up. He turned it back into a mouse saying, “Nothing I do for you is going to be of any help because you have a heart of a mouse!” – To be a follower of Jesus, the heart of a mouse will not suffice. One needs a brave heart. May the Lord give each of us a brave heart!
Anonymous

May we grow in courage and keep trusting in Him in all things!

Fr. Jude Botelho
judebotelho@niscort.com

P.S. :The stories, incidents and anecdotes used in the reflections have been collected over the years from books as well as from sources over the net and from e-mails received. Every effort is made to acknowledge authors whenever possible. If you send in stories or illustrations I would be grateful if you could quote the source as well so that they can be acknowledged if used in these reflections. I would be happy if you could link this website to your own parish/diocesan/institutional website. If you wish to receive these reflections by e-mail, or send them to a friend, do send in the e-mail address to <jude@netforlife.plus.com>

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