28TH SATURDAY HOMILY IN ORDINARY TIME — YEAR B

28TH SATURDAY HOMILY IN ORDINARY TIME — YEAR B

HOMILY THEME: “DO NOT BE AFRAID.”

BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas

Eph 1:15-14; Psalm 8:2-7; Luke 12:8-12

Jesus said to His disciples: “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.

ALSO RECOMMENDED: 28TH SATURDAY HOMILY IN ORDINARY TIME

“Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”

Fear is one of the most potent weapons of the devil in making souls tepid and timid, making them more vulnerable and powerless. The Trappist monk and great spiritual writer, Thomas Merton, said, “Fear narrows the little entrance of our heart. It shrinks up our capacity to love. It freezes up our power to give ourselves.”

That is why Jesus consistently exhorts His disciples: “Do not be afraid.” This exhortation and its equivalent expressions occur 365 times in the Bible – a reminder for us every day of the year.

In the Gospel today, the Lord warns: “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.”

He is aware that the first law of nature is self-preservation. When there is a perceived threat of losing something important – job, health, loved ones or even one’s own life – the temptation to deny God becomes real and strong. Indeed, not only does fear weaken our spirit; it also can immobilize us and may even lead to the denial of God. Hence, St. Teresa of Avila remarked, “I do not fear Satan half so much as I fear those who fear him.”

The example of countless martyrs of the Church should give us courage and inspiration. In the face of sufferings and certain death, they have shown heroic courage and fidelity to Jesus. They did not for a single moment consider denying the Lord just to save their lives. In doing so, they faithfully followed the example of Jesus, the King of martyrs.

This is the key to a full and meaningful life: “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Mt 16:25). The philosopher Søren Kierkegaard puts it this way: “The tyrant dies and his rule is over, the martyr dies and his rule begins.” On the other hand, those who deny Christ to save their lives will lose everything on top of being denied by Him “before the angels of God.”

Nowadays, there are still persecutions in some parts of the world, and so we hear of bloody martyrdoms here and there. But most martyrdoms are not anymore bloody, but bloodless. These are what is what is called “white martyrdom”. Christians who remain faithful are subjected to the hostility of society in various forms – ostracism, discrimination, ridicule, bigotry, coercion and harassment. We are challenged to be steadfast in our faith and in our commitment to the Christian principles and values in the midst of a hostile environment.

We should take inspiration and strength from the example of the Queen of Martyrs, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her martyrdom is bloodless, as prophesied by the holy man, Simeon, in the Temple. She endured countless troubles, sufferings and persecutions, yet she remained faithful to her Son up to His death on the cross.

During this month of October, let us re-intensify our daily Rosary devotion. As we pray the Our Father, we ask, “lead us not into temptation.” And as we say the Hail Mary, we repeatedly implore her constant maternal protection and intercession: “Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.” We pray that we may have the strength and the fortitude to remain faithful to the Lord now and for always.

FOR A SIMILAR HOMILY, CLICK HERE >>>>>

Dear friends in Christ, We rely on you to upset our bills. To keep us going, please click any of the “Donation” buttons and support us. Remember we also pray for YOU>>>>>