Sunday – 12^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel – Matthew 10:26-33

And The Answer Is……

Sea of Galilee

When our daughter Jaime was growing up, she was not all that comfortable with going to sleep at night.  We had a whole routine to go through every night so that she would feel safe.  After the bedtime stories, we had to check under her bed, open the closet door and shoo out of the room all the monsters lurking in the darkness.  We left her door open just a bit and we kept a light on in the hallway.  That pretty much did the trick to calm her fears.

Truth be told, we are all afraid of something! We are all worry warts!  Whether it’s the health of our parents or family, whether it’s every little ache and pain of our spouse, whether it’s the mental and physical health of our children and grandchildren, whether it’s about the future of the country and the world!  Maybe we worry about the latest rainstorm and whether the basement would flood or the places torn apart by war and poverty and hunger.  We worry about what happened yesterday and what might happen tomorrow!  And if we look back over the past 3 years and Covid, we have all worried about our families and friends, about finances and the future, and about sadness and loss and isolation.  Pick a day, any day!  And I promise you we were all worried about something or someone! 

And yet Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel not to worry!  Do Not Fear!  Be Not Afraid!  He tells us that there is no need to worry about anything!  Seriously?  Is that even possible for any of us?  Do any of us really remember a day when we didn’t stress or worry over something?

Be Not Afraid!  It is the most repeated phrase in the entire Bible.  Some Scripture scholars, apparently with a lot of time on their hands, have said that the phrase is repeated 365 times throughout the New and Old Testament. 365 times!  I can’t believe that is just a coincidence.  One for every day of the year.  A reminder to us not to be afraid, no matter what the situation, no matter what day!  God is always with us.  No matter what we are afraid of, no matter how hopeless we feel, no matter what stresses we are dealing with – we are not alone!  Every single day, God is with us!

I know we can find that hard to believe; I know we all still stress; I know we all have had days and situations that we thought we would never survive.  But think about it!  All those days we thought we thought we were completely alone, that we would never make it out alive, when everything seemed hopeless.  Looking back now, we did survive; we did make it, despite all of our worst fears.  And if truth be told, we realize now that we couldn’t have gotten through it all by ourselves, all on our own.  Someone had to have been watching over us, looking out for us, calming our fears and reminding us that we were never alone.  That was God, Our Father in Heaven.

I remember when I was little and my parents took us all to the movies.  But it wasn’t any cute Disney movie; it was a horror movie – THE FLY!  And I was terrified!  I kept asking to go to the bathroom, not for the normal reason but so I could avoid watching the movie.  Eventually my dad figured out what was going on and told me NO MORE!  Sit next to me and stay put.  I thought I was being punished!  But when the next scary scene happened and I cringed in fear, my dad took his hat and simply covered my face until the scene was over.  He continued to do that throughout the rest of the movie.  It’s only now that I realize how much he was looking out for me, protecting me, calming my fears, being with me at a difficult time.  How he was there for me when I was afraid!  And if our father on earth has been there to comfort us, to protect us, how much more so Our Father in Heaven!

There is an old quote that seems rather appropriate here!  Worry is like a rocking chair.  It gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere!  Maybe we need to remember about those wild sparrows in the Gospel.  They didn’t create themselves.  They put forth no effort or work to be beautiful.  Their existence, their beauty, their grace, all of it comes from the one who created us, God!

So too for us!  Our beauty, our worth comes from the Father, our Creator!  And the more we let go of our worry, the more we can enjoy the beauty around us and the beauty inside of us.  The more we can see and appreciate the many blessings in our life, the more we can deepen our relationship with and our faith in our Creator!

There is a Christian song that’s come out last year and the lyrics, I think, speak to this:

I’ve never made a fortune and it’s probably too late now.

But I don’t worry about that much, I’m happy anyhow.

And as I go along life’s way, I’m reaping better than I sowed.

I’m drinking from my saucer, ‘Cause my cup has overflowed.

 

I don’t have a lot of riches, and sometimes the going’s tough.

But I’ve got loved ones around me, and that makes me rich enough.

I thank God for his blessings, and the mercies He’s bestowed.

I’m drinking from my saucer, ’Cause my cup has overflowed.

 

I remember times when things went wrong, my faith wore somewhat thin.

But all at once the dark clouds broke, and the sun peeped through again.

So God, help me not to gripe about the tough rows that I’ve hoed.

I’m drinking from my saucer, ‘Cause my cup has overflowed.

 

If God gives me strength and courage, when the way grows steep and rough.

I’ll not ask for other blessings, I’m already blessed enough.

And may I never be too busy, to help others bear their loads.

Then I’ll keep drinking from my saucer, ‘Cause my cup has overflowed.

 

Letting go of our worries, our fears– maybe it’s not so much about losing hope but about keeping our faith in God!