Friday, October 19, 2012

Be Not Afraid

In today's Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples, "Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows." According to the Catholic Answers Forum, the phrase "be not afraid" appears over 100 times in the bible. When you include derivations of the phrase, some conclude that it appears 365 times.

Today we celebrate the feast of the North American martyrs, men who laid down their lives for their faith. They knew well that they may be killed for spreading the Gospel. They were not afraid. They lived their lives in accord with Christ's teaching: "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more."  Most of us will never be called to lay down our lives in such dramatic fashion. We do face times of difficulty. When we encounter challenges in our everyday lives, we should remember that God is always with us. We have no need to be afraid. You can go to video commentary from the USCCB, to hear more about the Gospel.

John Paul the Great began by the speaking the words, "be not afraid." Below is a touching tribute to JP2 who lived his life as one who trusted that the Lord was always with him through it all:

No comments:

Post a Comment