TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Speak in the Light. Proclaim on the Housetops.
In our world today, it seems to me that fear and anxiety rule our society. Many people have begun rejecting any need for God in their lives. As a result, the world tempts Christians more than ever to deny Christ. Most of us will not fear martyrdom like the disciples. Instead, we fear rejection and suffering. Whether we mean to or not, we may find ourselves hesitant to proclaim our love for the Lord from the housetops.
Courageous Christians do not fear suffering because of their beliefs. However, if we are wise, we do fear God. We have a holy fear of offending our loving Father because we do not want to be separated from Him for eternity. This fear can be misunderstood; we do not cower before God in fear. The fear we speak of here is about being in awe of God's great love and mercy. We should rather lose everything in this life than lose our friendship with Christ.
Even if we live to 100-years-old, our life here is temporary. Since the beginning, God has known everything that will happen in your life; there are no surprises for all-knowing, all-loving, all-merciful God. Those without faith in the works of Jesus Christ and our merciful and loving Father will fear every hardship that comes along. But because we know our Father cares more for us than the sparrow, we can rest assured that even our difficulties are part of God's plan for our eternal life with Him.