Homilies | Father Nathan

Father Nathan | Homily

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ

Today’s Readings for Mass During the Day:

First Reading — JER 20:10-13

Responsorial Psalm — PS 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35

Lord, in your great love, answer me.

Second Reading — ROM 5:12-15

Gospel Reading — MT 10:26-33

“fear no one,”

– MT 10:26-33

My dear friends one of the greatest quotes of Mother Theresa was

“The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty — it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There’s a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.”

 

― Mother Teresa, A Simple Path: Mother Teresa

This quote is so true no only to the west but for the whole world, especially as we are undergoing this pandemic situation. The great comfort of Jesus “DO NOT BE AFRAID” is needed of the day

When Jesus sent the apostles out to proclaim his teaching openly and to witness to him before the world, he knows that they were fearful. And they had good reason to be fearful, knowing that they would have to face hardship and persecutions. So, not once but three times he said to them, ‘Do not be afraid’

It is normal and natural that courage will sometimes fail us and that we will be afraid.  All those who have accomplished great things have known fear at one time or another.

Fear is not necessarily a bad thing. Fear sometimes has a protective function, warning us of the presence of danger. In this case, fear is a grace. Nevertheless, fear can be a handicap. It can paralyze a person. It can turn a person into a coward.

The Magician and the 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 dogs. Then the magician took pity on it and turned it into a dog. Then it became afraid of panthers. Then the magician took pity on it and turned it into panthers. Then it became afraid hunters. At his point, the magician gave up. He turned it back into a mouse saying ‘Nothing I do for you is going to be any good and any help to you because you have the heart of a mouse’

Jesus said to the Twelve:
“Fear no one.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known…”

Jesus knows that the apostles were afraid. He understood their fears and took them seriously. When he said to them, do not be afraid, he was addressing their fears and trying an ally 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 fulfill their mission.

Push Past Fear  — Trust in God

How did he suggest they might overcome their fears? Basically through trust in God and reliance on God. He urged them to have complete trust in God, who lovingly watches over the life and death of even the smallest and least valuable of his creatures-sparrows. Jesus assured them that God knows every detail of their lives, and would support them that God knows every detail of their lives, would support them in every crisis.

The prophet Jeremiah lived out his vocation during a time of great turmoil, which saw the defeat of Israel and the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. He lived with constant threats to his life. Yet, in spite of everything, he remained faithful to his calling. What was it that enabled him to overcome his fears and remain faithful to his mission? It was the conviction that God was on his side

’ The Lord is at my side, a mighty hero’

The lord is at our sides too. And while at times we will grow fearful, we mustn’t allow our fears cripple us. To live a Christian life requires courage. But then any meaningful living requires courage. What is needed in life is not so much heroism as ordinary courage.

Courage is the most important of all the virtues —  because without courage you can’t practice any other virtues with constancy. Faith is a great source of courage. As people of faith, we believe that God will give us the strength to cope with whatever comes.

The greatest freedom of all is freedom from fear.

Unless we can overcome our fears, we cannot live a dignified human life. Nevertheless, fear and courage are not mutually exclusive. They can and do coexist.  Courage is not ever being afraid. It is being afraid and overcoming it, or carrying on in spite of it.

To be a disciple of Jesus, the heart of the mouse will not suffice. One needs a brave heart.

May the Lord give us the brave heart.

Amen

Have a Blessed Week,

Fr. Nathan