My Dear People, 

In the first reading today, Jeremiah is reminding the people what they are doing wrong.  Since they do not appreciate it, they attack him. “Denounce! Let us denounce him!” they say.  Jeremiah, aware that he is being targeted, concludes all who were once his friends are now on the watch for any misstep! Yet, he does not cower, he does not stop proclaiming what God told him to say. His preaching is an uncomfortable message the people do not want to hear. Why? They do not want to reform their lives. They take on Jeremiah, as if it is his words that are making their lives uncomfortable, instead of their sinning.

Jeremiah takes comfort in saying: “The Lord is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph. In their failure they will be put to utter shame.”

Jeremiah fulfilled what Jesus is revealing in the gospel today: “Do not be afraid.” Jeremiah is not afraid of his opponents. He still proclaims the word of God. He is not afraid to proclaim the word of God even though he is persecuted. He knows the Lord is with him, and he relies on the strength of the Lord. This brings us to the message of the Gospel today.

Jesus tells His Disciples they must not be afraid of their opponents. They must proclaim the gospel. It would be tempting to cease preaching or to soften the message in order to make things easier for themselves and protect them from attacks and suffering. But Jesus entrusts the full gospel message to His Disciples, and the people are dependent on the Disciples to proclaim the Gospel for their salvation. Therefore, Jesus says, even though they will be persecuted like their teacher and Lord, they must not be afraid. What they have learned from Jesus, they must speak in the light, and not be afraid to proclaim it from the rooftops.

Such bold proclamations may lead to martyrdom. But if faced with the choice between dying for the sake of Christ or denying Him to save one’s life, we must remember that the worst thing our enemies can do is kill the body. They cannot kill the soul. Better to save one’s soul than to save one’s physical life. Thus, we should fear God much more than we fear our persecutors, for only God has power over the body and soul. In other words, we should have a healthy fear of the Lord because God alone can destroy soul and body in “Gehenna.”

In the face of persecution, if the Disciples acknowledge Jesus, Jesus will acknowledge them before the heavenly Father. So even if the enemies harm his body, God will save his soul. But the Disciple who rejects Christ to save his life here on earth cannot rely on Jesus to defend him on Judgment Day.  

“Whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

In summary, Jesus addresses the Twelve in a very straightforward way about the opposition they will encounter on the mission He has given them (10:16-33). {Matthew rewards these words for future disciples, whose lot will be the same.}  [Portion of this passage was taken from Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture; specifically on The Gospel of Matthew]

Yours in Christ,

 Fr. Vincent Clemente