Courage under persecution

JESUS said to his Apostles: “No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!

“Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

REFLECTION YOU ARE WORTH MORE THAN MANY SPARROWS. In our following of Jesus, we are warned that

we will confront threats and obstacles. But Jesus is telling us to take courage and not to be anxious about these stumbling blocks, for God cares for us the way God takes care of the seemingly unimportant sparrows. If God cannot allow these simple creatures to perish without his knowledge, how much more human beings like us!

Daily life presents us with reasons for being anxious: financial insecurity, shaky personal relationships, and natural disasters. These things can paralyze us. However, we can choose to put ourselves into the hands of a loving God who always looks after us even if God seems to be silent or uninvolved at times. God sends us people to share in our anxieties and struggles. Indeed, when we feel powerless and have no control over things in our lives, Jesus is always there ready to comfort and assure us that the Father can never allow us to be overcome by difficulties, no matter how seemingly insurmountable.

What makes us overly anxious? Do we have reason to be?