I think today's Gospel goes along with Father's Day very well. When I was growing up, the most frightening thing was the thunderstorms at the end of the monsoon. I was so scared of thunder and lightning. From my front porch, I witnessed a tree being struck by lightning and burst into flames. I was forced back into the house from the explosion. From that day on, as a child, I was terrified of thunder and lightning, especially when my father was away for work. When my father was at home, I was not afraid. Today we hear in the Gospel, "Do not be afraid," several times.
"Do not be afraid." How good it is for someone who is worried to hear those words from Jesus. Jesus knew we needed to hear those words. "Do not be afraid." Jesus was human and divine, and He knew we would need constant reminders not to worry. We often hear in the Gospels; Jesus asks us not to worry. Three times in today's Gospel, we hear Jesus saying, "Do not be afraid." Do not worry about the future of the kingdom of God because even if the kingdom is hidden and difficult to see now, it will be revealed. Do not worry about those who would make you martyrs by killing you because even if they kill your body, they cannot kill your soul. Therefore, do not worry about acknowledging Jesus before others, and he will acknowledge you before the Heavenly Father. Jesus is a model for us in coping with anxiety and distress. There is a great lesson for us in how Jesus dealt with worry and distress in Gethsemane: He felt great inner pain; he felt his Passion would be too much for him, "My soul is sorrowful even to death." He acknowledged this pain before his Father, "My Father if it is possible, let this cup pass from me…" In prayer, he found the strength to face his Passion and was able to say, "Not as I will, but as you will."
What was the remedy Jesus used to overcome worry and distress? Having faith in his heavenly Father and sharing the cause of his worry in prayer with the Father. We see a transformation in Jesus during his prayer. He began praying, "My soul is sorrowful even to death," but when he concluded, he prayed, "Your will be done!" That is what happens to us when we have faith in God and bring our anxieties to God in prayer. We should be transformed during prayer and receive strength from God to face what lies ahead. So when there are problems, have faith and pray! It is no surprise therefore that we hear Jesus rebuking the disciples when they are afraid during the storm because their faith is weak. Suddenly a violent storm came upon the sea so that waves were swamping the boat, but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" He said to them, "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?" Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
In our first reading, the prophet Jeremiah also copes with a difficult life situation through faith in God and prayer, the people to whom he ministered rejected his preaching. "I hear the whisperings of many: "Terror on every side! Denounce! let us denounce him!" All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. But he had faith in God and trusted in God despite being in a very difficult situation. "But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble; they will not triumph." Surely that strong faith and fervent prayer continued to support him in all his difficulties, especially at the end of his life as he was martyred like all the prophets before him.
The Lord has commanded us 365 times in the Scriptures: "Do not fear." By this command, the Lord means that we should not fear any human being, human circumstance, or even the devil. We should not fear death, dying, pain, persecution, rejection, loneliness, poverty, old age, having a large family, evangelizing, going to Confession, being a priest, religious, or missionary, tithing, and giving alms, downsizing our lifestyles, etc. The Lord commands us so frequently not to fear because we may repeatedly disobey this command and because we are often tempted to let ourselves be manipulated by fear. Because the temptation to live in fear is so pervasive and strong, the fulfillment of God's plan for our lives, practically speaking, probably depends on whether we have consistently accepted God's grace to overcome fear. Otherwise, we are life-long slaves of the devil through fear of death and related matters. God graces us with victory over the fear of men and human sufferings by giving us the fear of the Lord. Let us Pray: "Lord Jesus, it is my joy and privilege to be your disciple. Please give me strength and courage to bear any hardship and suffering, which may come my way in your service. May I witness to others the new life, joy, and victory you have won for us through your cross and resurrection."