It is the beginning of the sixth century before Christ, about the year 590 BC. The Kingdom of Judah and its capital Jerusalem are terrified. The Babylonians are on the march. They have conquered the Assyrians. Tarsus and Damascus to the North have fallen. All of Mesopotamia, the nations between the Tigris and Euphrates, have fallen. Now Jerusalem is threatened. How can the tiny Kingdom of Judah withstand such a huge enemy? What should the King do?
He looks to his counsellors. They tell him to consider treaties with their pagan neighbors. The king knows that this would mean trusting in the pagans rather than trusting in God. The King rejects his counsellors and chooses to look to God.
There was a prophet in Jerusalem whom he respects, the prophet Jeremiah. The king sees him as someone who knows the truth and is not afraid to proclaim it. Jeremiah tells the King that the Babylonians are agents of God, sent to punish the Jewish people for adopting pagan ways. Jeremiah tells the King that he needs to lead the people to trust in God rather than in the pagans.
This is why the King’s counsellors hate Jeremiah. Today’s first reading (Jeremiah 20:10-13) relates how the King’s counsellors were looking for ways by which they could denounce him to the King, condemn him, even have him killed. Jeremiah is tested. Should he go along with the counsellors and preserve his life? Should he get out of Jerusalem with its deadly politics? Or should he give witness to God and chance persecution from those gathered around the King? He decides to fear God rather than be afraid of men.
Fear God. That is a biblical concept that is often misunderstood. It does not mean that we should be afraid of God. It means that we should respect God, reverence God, and be more concerned with fulfilling the Law of God, not worried about the way others might respond to us.
In the Gospel reading for this Sunday (Matthew 10:26-33) Jesus says, “Fear no one.” He tells us to keep our priorities straight. He tells us that we should not even be afraid of people who could kill us. “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” In one of the most beautiful passages in the New Testament, Jesus says, “Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not a single sparrow falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted; so do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
The Lord also says in that passage, “Be afraid of the one who can destroy both the soul and the body in Gehenna.” This is not a popular concept in our society. We emphasize God’s compassion and mercy. I know that I do, and this is good, but we tend to refuse to acknowledge His justice. In our own minds, we transform God into an imaginary figure who will not respond to our rejection of His life and laws. For example, a man commits adultery, leaves his wife and children, and then says, “God understands.” Well maybe the god of his imagination might understand, but the real God was present when the marriage vows were made to Him and to his wife. God sees the turmoil the selfish man thrusts upon a good wife and their beautiful children. God’s mercy is always available, but if the man, or if any of us, refuse to acknowledge our sins and seek forgiveness, we are committing the deadly sin of presumption and, in effect, reduce God to a creature of our imagination.
But if we live with reverence and respect for the Lord, the biblical Fear of the Lord, if we do all we can to be God-fearing, then we do not have to be afraid of anything. When we live with a reverence and respect for the Lord, then all those concerns that the media delights in frightening us with will diminish. Will the disease de jour destroy half the population of the world, as the Black Plague destroyed half the population of Europe? We certainly pray that it will not, but we also know that live or die, what matters is that we belong to the Lord. Will the world end this year? Everything else seems to be going wrong in 2026, so maybe, but probably not. The end of the world does not matter, as long as we are united to God. Will World War III erupt in Strait of Hermuz when we least expect it? Maybe, but probably not. Nevertheless, it does not matter, as long as we are united to God. Will Hurricane Mojo devastate the west coast of Florida, destroying our homes? Maybe, but probably not. But it does not matter, as long as we are united to God. Will people attack us for being Christian? Absolutely. In fact, there are many people in sections of Africa, Asia, India (I know, India is part of Asia, too) and in the United States, who are being attacked for being Christian every day. Will we be disparaged because we are against abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia, and taking children from their parents? We certainly will be attacked for promoting the totality of respect life, but disparagement does not matter, as long as we are united to God.
We have nothing to fear, as long as we fear the Lord. We are a lot more important to our Loving Father than a flock of sparrows; yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without our Heavenly Father’s concern. How much more does God value those creatures who are made in His image and likeness? We are worth infinitely more than many sparrows.
The devil uses three terrible lies to assail us, sometimes directly, sometimes subtly. The first lie is: You are not good enough. To that God answers, “I have made you good enough. I became one of you. I died for you so I could raise you up with me to eternal life.” The second lie is: You are alone. God answers, “I am with you always. I know you. I know every hair on your head. I know what you are going through. Together we can conquer all challenges, all fear.” The third lie is one that all liars use, to try to convince others that the other person is lying. In the case of the devil, the third great lie is that God has deceived us. The devil used this great lie to great effect in the story about original sin. The devil told Adam and Eve that God was deceiving them to keep them from being like God.
In our modern times, the Great Lier lures souls away from God by telling them that there are other ways to live other than that presented by the Church. That is another long Daily Reflection to come. To the accusation that God lies, God answers, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” “Fear the Lord and do not be afraid of anything.” the Lord says. You are worth more than many sparrows.
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!