“Do not fear”

This exhortation must have been very important for Jesus, because he repeats it three times in the short passage of today’s gospel. However, before going any further, we need to understand the context of what Jesus is saying. Fear is an important part of our human nature. If I were not afraid of anything, I would be prone to do stupid things that would hurt or damage me. So, in certain circumstances, fear is a natural, healthy way of preserving my well-being.

Today’s gospel passage is taken from the tenth chapter of Matthew’s gospel, where Jesus calls the twelve apostles and sends them out on their mission. He reminds them that they will be going “like sheep among wolves”. He tells them that, not only will there be people who will not accept their teaching, but they will even have to suffer injustices because of their mission. He also reminds them that he himself had been called a devil by his opponents, and they should not expect to receive better treatment! Indeed, humanly speaking, Jesus’ words are not very encouraging!

This is where Jesus tells these disciples that, in spite of all this, they need not fear. Not because they are naïve or ignorant of the dangers. But simply because they are going to be in very good hands, those of God the Father. He who looks after the little birds of the air, will definitely be looking after them. After all, they are much more valuable than a little sparrow! Moreover, God the Father is constantly aware of what they are going through. Our God is not an indifferent god, who does not care of what’s happening in our lives. “Even the hairs of your head are all counted,” Jesus tells them - a beautiful image abut how God knows every little detail about us.

The words addressed to the twelve disciples are also being addressed to us. Thanks to our baptism, we are all called to participate in the mission of Jesus. Wherever we happen to be in our little world, be it at work, at home, or amongst our friends, we are called to bring good news: to help people understand that there is a God who loves and who cares. This is the news that Jesus constantly proclaimed in his life here on Earth. There will be times when this will not be easy. Particularly when we will have to live out what we are trying to convey to others. Jesus’ message was a continuous message of love: loving neighbor, loving your enemy, unconditionally forgiving, constantly giving of yourself and dying to yourself for others. Some may take advantage. Others might make fun of you, especially when you don’t take advantage to advance simply because you want to do the right thing, or when they see you constantly trying to forgive those who harm you. This is where the words “do not fear” will make sense. Irrespective of how difficult it seems, God will be accompanying us and giving us the strength necessary to do what we are being called to do.

​Having said all this, the final words of Jeremiah’s song in today’s first reading ring in our hearts: “Sing to the lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers.” 

The feast which we are celebrating today always brings to mind one particular Thursday evening, when Jesus was gathered with his close circle of friends to celebrate the Passover meal. It was a very intimate moment for the group. The crowds were not there. This was to be a special day for all of them, a day never to be forgotten. During the meal Jesus takes the bread, looks up to heaven in thanksgiving, blesses, breaks and distributes the bread. This time however, unlike in previous years, some very special words accompany these gestures: “Take this, this is my body” – followed by “this is my blood”, referring to the wine of the chalice he gave them afterwards. All this is followed by a special command: “Do this in remembrance of me”.

During this special gathering, Jesus tells his disciples to do something. They are not meant to be spectators or mere recipients of what is being given. As disciples, they are to walk in the Master’s footsteps. What the Master did there was not a simple sharing of a meal. He was giving his own body, pouring his own blood. “Do this” did not refer solely to the breaking of bread or drinking from the chalice, but also to what it implied: the total giving of oneself to others. What Jesus did sacramentally on Thursday evening, He repeated on the following day from the cross.

It’s interesting to note that in his account of the same Holy Thursday event, St John does not give us any of the above. Rather, he tells us about Jesus washing the feet of his disciples - a great act of humility and service. Here again, Jesus tells the disciples, “as I have done to you, you do the same to one another”.

In both stories we have the same act of giving of self, of dying to the other person, of unconditional, freely given love. And in both stories, we notice one particular detail: Judas was present! Yes, in spite of (or, perhaps, because of) the fact that Jesus knew what was in Judas’ mind, he did kneel down in front of him to wash his feet, and he did share with him the gift of his body and blood. When Jesus tells us to do exactly as he does, he is basically telling us to love everybody, irrespective of who they are or what they have done! This is real “communion” Yes, following Jesus is not for the faint-hearted!

This is what we are living out every time we celebrate Eucharist. During Mass we listen to those words, over and over again: “do this in remembrance of me”. As we slowly start coming back to our churches, it’s good to remember that this is the command I am expected to live in my daily life, as I leave the Church building after Mass. What I celebrate in Church, I am called to live outside of it. “Do this” is asking me to give my life to others, without holding anything back, irrespective of who the “other” might be. Otherwise, my celebration would be a contradiction.

​Humanly speaking, this might be difficult to do. Not unlike what happened in the first story, doing what Jesus is asking me to do sometimes defies all human logic and reasoning. But it is worth taking the risk. The results might surprise us.

We do not often think about the Holy Trinity, and yet, it is something that is an integral part of our lives as believers. Every time we do the sign of the cross, every time we pray the “Glory be”, we always refer to God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Moreover, we were all baptized “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”. Why is this dogma so important for us?

I won’t attempt here to give an explanation of this mystery – three persons, one God. Scholars and theologians have written huge books trying to explain the trinity, and I do not think it is our scope here to give a scholarly or a deep theological explanation.

Still, there is a reason why the Church gives this feast so much importance. And that is because of the fact that what I believe about God is going to help me understand who I really am.

In one of the stories of creation which we find in the first book of the Bible, there is a verse which I really like. First, when it was time for God to create us humans, God says “Let us create mankind in our own image, in our own likeness”. Then, the book continues: “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them”.

When we say that we are created in God’s image, it does not mean that God looks physically like me! We are in God’s image in our togetherness, in our communion with each other. That is why today’s feast is so important. Some elements from the feast of the Holy Trinity can help us understand the implications of all this. We believe that the persons of the Trinity are all equal and distinct. Yet, the communion is so strong that it is one God that we speak of, not three.

Being created in God’s likeness, we are all equally important and distinct personalities. We are different to each other, not better than any other. And yet, we are not created for loneliness. We need each other. We are made for relationships, for communion.

Unfortunately, this communion has been broken by our sinfulness. We remember that, again in that very first book of the bible, sin brought division in us. There was division between man and God (Adam and Eve hide, because they are embarrassed), division amongst themselves (Adam blames Eve for his wrongdoing), and division between man and nature (Eve blames the snake, and working in nature now becomes difficult). Having seen this, God immediately promised to remedy this situation. We know that this promise was fulfilled in the coming of Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection reconciled us once more to God, amongst ourselves, and with nature.

​When I think about myself as a human being, remembering that I have been created in God’s own image, I remember that I have been created for communion, to build relationships. It is there that I find my fulfilment.