Reflection for Sunday June 25, Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Matthew 10:26-33

Gospel: Matthew 10:26-33

Jesus said to the Twelve: "Fear no one. 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."

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Reflection:

The story is told about a young man who had trepidation if he would share his reflections about the words of Jesus on the internet. The reason which he was apprehensive of was his personal intellectual inadequacy and his very shallow vocabulary.

Amidst his limitations and apprehensions he proceeded to write his simple reflections. Almost twenty years had passed the man who was fearful of his intellectual shortcomings is still writing his simple reflection on the daily gospel until this present moment.  

In this Sunday’s gospel Jesus tells us to fear no one, this is an encompassing advice from Jesus which surely include our fear if we can speak or write for Jesus. If we let fear into our hearts it would surely paralyze us. However, why fear if we have faith and belief in Jesus? Why fear when Jesus Himself is telling us to share anything that we know about Him, share it with humility of course.

The apostles did not let fear defeat them for they knew that even if there was no physical manifestation of Jesus’ presence. There was always the presence of His spiritual and sacramental manifestation before them.

Jesus calls us all as well, we who are inadequate for He will make us adequate. We who are half-empty for He will fill us until we overflow. And we who are fearful for He will make us courageous.

What He only wants from us is to learn to trust Him for he will equip us with anything that we need. – Marino J. Dasmarinas