The closing line of today’s gospel brings to mind a conversation I had with a childhood friend years ago. At the time she was working as a bartender in a coastal town in Oregon and I visited her while driving home from California. She no longer considered herself a Catholic, yet she expected to see God in heaven. However, she didn’t believe in the existence of the devil and went on to dispute certain other teachings of our faith. Time did not allow me the opportunity to explore her many reasons but as I drove north, I had to wonder how many of us delude ourselves into thinking that heaven is ours even if we choose to ignore the truths that Jesus shares in this gospel passage.
In this day and age, many people consider themselves Christian but saying that isn’t enough. We can easily say flippantly, “I believe in Jesus Christ,” but being a true believer isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes grace-empowered courage to give witness to Jesus Christ, especially in a time and place that downplays the value of following him.
Jesus commands two things of us: fear no one and preach boldly. Many people see themselves as Christian, yet are faint-hearted about expressing their faith. Fear of human opposition rather than soul searching defines the principles of their faith. In a society that advocates or tolerates immoral values, standing up for the values of our Christian faith can be daunting to say the least. Daring to speak out against unchristian values that appear to be so widely accepted in our culture can leave one feeling like a pariah.
In the gospel, we heard Jesus instructing his disciples, “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.” He is talking of the devil and hell, the very things my friend rejected. We need not be afraid of what others can do to our souls for we are the only ones who can ultimately harm our souls by the choices we make.
We risk losing our souls whenever we choose to ignore Jesus and abandon the principles of our faith. As we heard Jesus say at the close of the gospel, “Whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.” This we do when we disregard the message of his teachings passed on to us in scripture and by the Church.
Many feel that religion is a private matter so we are often told in so many words to just mind our own business when it comes to moral issues. Some times that may be good advice but not when the hallmark of being Christian is at stake. We all suffer when we choose to be silent or unconcerned about the impact the “devil” has on our society and on us. For this reason, we should not be afraid to speak the truth.
In one Catholic high school, an angry parent once blasted the principal because of the drug problem on campus. “Why aren’t you doing anything about this? My son tells me who is doing this!” he screamed.
“I will,” responded the principal quietly, “as soon as your son tells me who is selling the drugs.” “I don’t want my son getting involved,” the parent protested. “Then,” replied the principal, “the drug sales will continue.”
Get the message? So long as we tolerate or patronize the evil in our midst, we set ourselves up for self-destruction and the devil wins the battle. In the mean time, we do as my friend did. We convince ourselves that God would forgive us and never punish us for our wrong doing even if we reject that which God defines as moral. God is forgiving but first we have to admit that we can and do sin.
Jesus calls us to be holy and true, just as he is, for we have been made in the image of God. Like the fathers in our midst who act out of concern and love for their children, God the Father endeavors to protect us from harm. The safety that really matters, namely the well being of our souls, is ours when we seek to be holy and true in the sight of God.
Our motivation for being Christian should be based on love of God through our brothers and sisters, rather than a desire for the reward of heaven or the fear of hell. We are called to be Christian, not by society’s standards, but by how Jesus defines the mission. He told us, “What you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.” Don’t be afraid to proclaim that you follow Christ. If we fear anything, we must fear what God might think of us for someday we will be judged by how we have glorified God by our lives.
Until that day comes, our human fears can be controlling, but as Eric Hoffer, the author of The True Believer, once said, “When we are absolutely certain, whether of our worth or worthlessness, we are almost impervious to fear.” The earliest disciples overcame their fears and boldly proclaimed the good news of salvation in the face of many dangers that threatened their earthly survival. Down through the centuries, millions of believers have followed their example.
If heaven is our hope, we must keep these words of Jesus in mind. “Do not be afraid. Do not fear. You are worth more than many sparrows.” When Christians anywhere live the Gospel boldly and risk themselves for the good of humanity, they acknowledge that Christ is alive and at work in the world. These are the disciples on whom God relies to continue the Son’s mission as history unfolds. We are all being challenged to forego our fears, by embracing the present with courage and the future with hope.