Homily 12th Sunday Ordinary Time

Whom do we really have to fear in this life? Those who disagree with us, or denigrate us, or perhaps persecute us? Do we fear those who don’t like our beliefs, and perhaps label us so as to intimidate us, in an effort to silence us? Or perhaps those we see as being in authority? The answer is no one. Our God is the only one who is deserving of our fear, awe, and respect. To be clear, when we say that we fear the Lord, this is not a fear that equates to dread; this is the fear that simply comes from seeing awesome power and potential. It is a paternal fear like that which we probably experienced as young children observing our Fathers, who at the time seemed like mountains to us. It is a healthy fear that breeds respect and is appropriate for the God of the universe who loved us so much that He offered himself through his incarnation as Son to take the punishment that was rightfully ours, and thus restore us to a full relationship. It was the ultimate act of Fatherly love, that brought us back close to Him, and in the process vanquished death itself.

Our Father created a new reality that had not been seen since the time of Adam before sin entered the world, through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. He conquered the death that we all had reason to fear because it was a lasting death, and replaced it with the hope of eternal life with Him in our true home, heaven. He offered a chance to come to our true home, as repentant children, and spend eternity with our Father in a loving embrace that we all long for.

To get there is not easy, however; before that, we have much learning to do, and to prove ourselves as His children through our obedience and attention to His teaching. We do this through love of Him, and of our brothers and sisters. This is no small task. Like in most larger families, there are sometimes those who do not agree with the way we have been raised and taught, and who rebel, and we must reach out to them in love, and be patient with them to try to guide them home as well. This is not always initially appreciated, and sometimes leads to strife within our human family, and it is this which can sometimes lead us off track if we are not careful. We must remember our Father’s teaching, and stay steadfastly grounded in His word, no matter how much we are called on by others to do otherwise. As we do this, our example will not go unnoticed, and while we may not see the fruits of this at first, it will often produce in the long term. What we must never do is allow ourselves to become so distracted by fear of the opinion or words of others that we lose our way. We must have the courage to endure, absorb, and even embrace any insult, label, or word that others may use against us. Jesus Christ gave us this example of persistence and inner peace when He suffered for our sake. He did not lash out, He did not counter the words of others, He did not find it necessary to justify Himself before anyone but the Father, and neither should we. There is no need of it, and it is a distraction that leads us away from our true purpose – it is wasted energy and makes us vulnerable to the agenda of evil that will always try to wrest us from the touch of our Father. Never let your guard down, and never forget that true humility will keep us free from the weaknesses of our character that the evil one seeks to exploit. We are not without help; our Lord will always watch over us and provide us with His grace to help us in our time of weakness if we are but humble enough to ask.

This familial battle of earthly life is a daily struggle for us. We experience it in our homes, in our offices, in our friendships, and even sometimes within our Church community. We are in a constant struggle against human error colliding with the truth of God’s teachings, and the subsequent struggles that occur as part of that. Yet we are not without the hope of a final reward that will come after we have labored throughout our lives. We live in the struggle now, so that we may live forever in an embrace that is perfect, and a love that is without limit or end.

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