Daily Catholic Lectio
Sat, 13 July 2024
Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time – Saturday
Isaiah 6:1-8. Matthew 10:24-33
Do not be afraid!
Jesus’ exhortation to the disciples on encountering difficulties continues in today’s gospel reading. Three times Jesus says to his disciples, “Do not be afraid!”
(a) Do not be afraid of those who speak ill of you
Here, Jesus recalls to them the objection he faced from his enemies, and he foretells that the same evil will befall them. One who knows about his authentic identity need not be afraid of what others think of him.
(b) Do not be afraid of those who kill the body
Those who kill and take life, though they think of themselves as powerful, are in fact powerless. They don’t realise that everyone has a soul that can never be destroyed from the outside. Only God has power over the soul. We must always think of God, who is more powerful than human beings.
(c) Do not be afraid, because you are greater than sparrows
In Jesus’ time, sparrows were tested in the marketplaces. The sparrows that are let out of the cage become free sparrows. God feeds those sparrows. If God feeds the little sparrow, how much more will he be providential towards human persons.
In the first two instances, the factors that terrify us lie outside of us. We may not have direct control over them. But, in the third instance, we can have control over. We need to control our self-doubt, which leads to fear.
In the first reading, when Isaiah had self-doubt and considered himself unworthy, God came down to make him holy. God’s presence purifies us, strengthens us, and changes the direction of our lives.
#
A pilgrim of hope answers the call of God, “Here I am!” (Jubilee 2025 AD, bite 147).
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
Leave a comment