Mt 10,26-33
So do not be afraid of them. Everything now covered up will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. ‘So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of human beings, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in the presence of human beings, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.
Fearlessness is one of the characteristics of a “warrior of light”, which we as Christians should be in the struggle we are called to fight. Fearlessness does not mean recklessness, optimism, or being convinced of one’s own strength, as heroes are presented to us. Recklessness and optimism do not know how to assess the situation correctly, do not recognize the real dangers or ignore them and are determined by a more superficial feeling. The fearlessness in the text means to live in total trust in God and to act in the knowledge that God holds everything in his hands.
The above words are spoken by Jesus in connection with the sending of the disciples, knowing full well what dangers, rejection, persecution and suffering will come to them.
The powers of destruction and rebellion usually do their work with great malice and want to spread terror around them, but they are not omnipotent. In spite of all their malice and deceit, they are integrated into God’s plan, but they cannot recognize this for themselves in their blindness.
The fearlessness meant here results from the awareness of being carried and sent by God to fulfil an important mission. The word must be proclaimed; it must also make its way even when it is under concrete rejection and persecution. The disciple sent by the Lord is under the special protection of God, and whatever the outcome, God will always be present.
This is why we are also asked to confess Christ before men and not to shrink back when indifference and enmity meet us!
God expects this from us and also enables us to do so. This does not mean that we should not be wise with the goods entrusted to us and be careful. But it does mean that we should not deny our faith out of fear. This applies not only to those countries where faith is openly persecuted, but also to the so-called free democracies, where elements of persecution are also multiplying.
Confessing Jesus also means upholding Christian values and convictions and also witnessing to them, when the spirit of the world no longer wants to call sin sin, when forms of life that counteract the order of creation are to be equated with marriage, when abortion is to be proclaimed a human right, when the absurd ideology of genderism is to be introduced, and much more. It becomes particularly blatant when even the Church allows herself to be infected by this spirit of the world, which is essentially an anti-Christian spirit.
The call to confess the Lord fearlessly always exists for us Christians; the Lord will then have to confess us and not deny us!
The time has come to bear witness to the Lord in a special way. If, for example, in our Church there is a growing tendency to regard all religions as equal and to desire to build peace together with them, then we must remember the Lord’s word: “Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” (Jn 14,27)
True peace comes through reconciliation with God through Christ. That is why peace is served most when the Gospel is proclaimed in word and deed. This is the way God intended it. This requires fearlessness today because the spirit of this world, wherever it is active, wants to erase, transform, relativize or even pervert the Saviour’s witness. This must be wisely opposed and Jesus proclaimed as the only Saviour of the world and the praise of the Most Holy Trinity should be announced everywhere.
In the Message of the Father through Madre Eugenia, which I hold in high esteem – and which is recognized by the Church – it says in relation to other religions:
“You too, who know no other religion than the one you have been taught since your birth and which is not the true religion, open your eyes and recognize that here is your Father who created you and who wants to redeem you. I come to you to bring you the truth and with it salvation.”
As true disciples of the Lord, we are called to proclaim without fear the one who alone can say of Himself: “I am the Way; I am Truth and Life” (Jn 14,6).