Homily on Matthew 10:26–33
"Do Not Be Afraid"
Today's Gospel from Matthew 10:26–33 contains one phrase that Jesus
repeats three times:
"Do not be afraid."
Whenever Jesus repeats something, it is because He knows we need to hear
it.
And perhaps there has never been a generation that needs to hear those
words more than ours.
We live in a world filled with anxiety and uncertainty. We worry about
our health, our finances, our families, our nation, and our future. We carry
concerns about our children and grandchildren. We watch the news and wonder
what tomorrow will bring.
Fear has a way of stealing our peace long before any actual suffering
arrives.
Yet Jesus, looking into the hearts of His disciples—and into our hearts
today—says:
"Do not be afraid."
Not because life will be easy.
Not because suffering will disappear.
But because we belong to Him.
And that changes everything.
But before Jesus speaks about courage, He reminds us of something
essential.
Fear often grows when we think we are alone, unnoticed, or forgotten.
That is why the Lord begins not with a command, but with a reassurance.
He wants His disciples to know that their lives are fully visible to God.
And so Jesus says:
"Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that
will not be known."
At first glance, those words may seem unsettling.
But for those who love God, they are actually a source of comfort.
Because they remind us that God sees what the world often misses.
He sees the mother who stays up late praying for a struggling child.
He sees the grandfather quietly praying the Rosary for his family.
He sees the caregiver who sacrifices day after day for a spouse who is
ill.
He sees the person who fights temptation and remains faithful when no one
else knows the battle they are fighting.
The world often celebrates the loud, the wealthy, and the powerful.
But God notices the faithful.
There is a beautiful story from the life of Saint Mother Teresa.
One day a volunteer became discouraged because nobody seemed to
appreciate the difficult work they were doing among the poor.
Mother Teresa smiled and said:
"God has not called us to be successful. He has called us to be
faithful."
What mattered was not who noticed.
What mattered was that God noticed.
And He always does.
Knowing that God sees us should give us confidence.
Yet even when we know God is watching over us, another fear often creeps
into our hearts.
It is the fear of what other people think.
The fear of standing out.
The fear of being different.
The fear of openly living our faith in a world that often misunderstands
it.
And it is to that fear that Jesus now speaks.
Jesus says:
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the
soul."
Most of us will probably never face physical persecution.
But we do face something else.
We face the fear of being judged.
The fear of being ridiculed.
The fear of being labeled old-fashioned or intolerant.
The fear of standing firm when everyone else seems to be moving in the
opposite direction.
Many Catholics know exactly what that feels like.
You bow your head and pray in a restaurant.
You defend the sanctity of life.
You uphold the teachings of Christ regarding marriage and family.
You attend Mass every Sunday while others sleep in.
And sometimes people look at you as though you're the strange one.
The temptation is to blend in.
To remain silent.
To keep our faith hidden.
But Jesus never called us to be secret disciples.
He called us to be witnesses.
Years ago, a young Marine attended Mass every Sunday while deployed
overseas.
Most of the men in his unit did not share his faith.
Some mocked him.
Others joked about religion.
One Sunday morning, as he prepared to attend Mass in a makeshift chapel,
another Marine laughed and asked,
"Why waste your time?"
The young Marine simply smiled and replied:
"Because if Christ was willing to die for me, the least I can do is
show up for Him."
He wasn't angry.
He wasn't argumentative.
He simply lived his faith.
Years later, after returning home, he learned that the same Marine who
mocked him had quietly begun attending church.
Why?
Because he had never forgotten that witness.
The young Marine didn't convert anyone through debate.
He converted someone through courage.
Never underestimate what God can do through a simple act of faithfulness.
The courage of that young Marine reminds us of an important truth:
Most acts of faith do not happen on grand stages.
They happen in ordinary moments when we choose trust over fear.
But while many of us worry about what others think, there is another fear
that may be even more common.
It is the fear of what tomorrow might bring.
If we're honest, this is where many of us struggle.
We can trust God with yesterday.
We can trust Him with today.
But trusting Him with an uncertain future is much harder.
Will my health hold up?
Will my children remain faithful?
Will my grandchildren know Christ?
Will my finances last?
What will happen to our country?
What does the future hold?
Fear often grows when we focus on what we cannot control.
That is why the story of the farmer during the drought speaks so
powerfully to the Christian life.
There is an old story about a farmer who endured a severe drought.
Month after month, the fields dried up.
Neighbors complained.
Many gave up hope.
Yet every morning this farmer continued to walk his property, inspecting
the soil and preparing for a harvest that seemed impossible.
One neighbor finally asked,
"Why are you working so hard when there hasn't been rain for
months?"
The farmer replied,
"I cannot make it rain. That's God's job. But when the rain comes, I
want God to find me ready."
That is faith.
Faith does not pretend problems don't exist.
Faith simply refuses to surrender hope.
Faith says:
"I trust God even when I cannot see what He is doing."
The farmer understood something that Jesus wants His disciples to
understand.
We are responsible for faithfulness.
God is responsible for the harvest.
And to illustrate that truth, Jesus points to one of the smallest
creatures imaginable—a sparrow.
Jesus says:
"Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them
falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge."
Imagine that.
The Creator of the universe notices a tiny sparrow.
The God who formed the oceans and hung the stars in the sky pays
attention to the smallest details of His creation.
And then Jesus says:
"You are worth more than many sparrows."
What an extraordinary truth.
God knows your name.
He knows your story.
He knows your wounds.
He knows your disappointments.
He knows the prayer you've been repeating for years.
He knows the burden you've told almost no one about.
And He has not forgotten you.
Not for a single moment.
What a remarkable image.
A God so attentive that He notices every sparrow.
A God so loving that He counts every hair on our heads.
But what does that kind of love actually feel like?
Perhaps this simple story captures it best.
A father and his young daughter were walking through a crowded city
street.
The little girl suddenly became frightened by the noise and the people
rushing around her.
She looked up and said,
"Daddy, I'm scared."
The father immediately reached down and took her hand.
A few moments later he asked,
"Are you still afraid?"
She smiled and replied,
"No."
The crowd had not changed.
The noise had not changed.
The circumstances had not changed.
The only thing that changed was whose hand she was holding.
That is the Christian life.
The storms may remain.
The diagnosis may remain.
The uncertainty may remain.
But Christ reaches down and says:
"Take My hand."
And suddenly we discover that courage is not the absence of fear.
Courage is walking forward despite fear because we know we are not alone.
That little girl discovered something every Christian eventually learns.
Courage is not found in controlling circumstances.
Courage is found in trusting the One who walks beside us.
And when we truly trust Him, we become willing to stand with Him
publicly, regardless of the cost.
That leads us to the final challenge Jesus gives His disciples.
Jesus concludes:
"Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge
before my heavenly Father."
Brothers and sisters, the world desperately needs joyful, courageous
Catholics.
Not angry Catholics.
Not fearful Catholics.
But joyful Catholics.
Catholics who trust God.
Catholics who love generously.
Catholics who forgive quickly.
Catholics who pray faithfully.
Catholics who are willing to stand with Christ even when it costs them
something.
The saints were not fearless because they were extraordinary people.
They were fearless because they trusted an extraordinary God.
And the same Holy Spirit who strengthened them has been given to us.
Brothers and sisters, everything Jesus has said in today's Gospel leads
to this moment.
God sees you.
God knows you.
God loves you.
Therefore, you do not need to live in fear.
As we prepare to continue with this Mass and approach this altar, imagine
placing every fear you carry into the hands of Christ.
The fear for your children.
The fear for your grandchildren.
The fear for your health.
The fear for your future.
The fear that keeps you awake at night.
Place it all before Him.
Because the same Lord who calmed the storm, who raised the dead, who
conquered the grave, is the Lord who speaks to us today.
And His message has not changed.
Do not be afraid.
Not because life will always be easy.
Not because suffering will never come.
But because you belong to Him.
The Father knows every hair on your head.
The Son has redeemed you with His Precious Blood.
The Holy Spirit walks beside you every step of the journey.
And if God is for us, who can be against us?
So leave this church today with confidence.
Leave with hope.
Leave with courage.
And whenever fear begins to whisper in your ear, answer it with the words
of Christ Himself:
"Do not be afraid."
"Do not be afraid."
"Do not be afraid."
For the One who conquered death is with you now and always.
Amen.
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