12th Sunday Year A - Homily 2

Homily 2 - 2008

Don’t be afraid! – said Jesus.  And he repeated it: Don’t be afraid – even of those likely to kill you.  Little wonder he repeated it – violent death is scary.  Jesus himself had to deal with his fear, certainly during his prayer in Gethsemane – and he struggled to do so.

In today’s short Gospel passage, Jesus was talking to disciples sent on mission – in the case of the first disciples, personally sent by himself: a mission around Galilee, tyrannically ruled by Herod, and at a time not long after the execution of John the Baptist.  In Matthew’s case: he was writing for his own community of disciples living in the Roman Empire.  Don’t be afraid, even of those who kill!

What was their mission?  Remember last week’s Gospel?  Jesus felt compassion for the crowds because they were harassed – oppressed, exploited, and because of the despair that they felt in face of it.  As the Gospel said: They were dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.  Jesus’ response was to send his disciples out among them: Proclaim that the Kingdom of heaven is close at hand.  Tell them that God loves them, that they have a dignity.  But, don’t just tell them: be channels of that love, approach them with deep compassion, as Jesus himself had done: Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils.  Their mission was not to establish an opposing regime … but the message they preached radically subverted the values on which the Roman Empire was built.

We live in a different world. No one is likely to behead us or crucify us – whatever we say.  But it is a world where a lot of people are simply lost.  They mightn’t think they are; they probably see themselves as eminently free, but they’re lost – like sheep without a shepherd.  With no appreciation of a God who loves them passionately and gifts them with life, they have little sense of their radical human dignity or of the preciousness of every human life.  

A topical illustration is the current legislation before Parliament in Victoria - seeking to legitimise abortion even further.  Around the world, in one single year, there are over 40 million abortions.  People are lost, bewildered.  What to do?  The Church has proclaimed its teaching on abortion quite clearly, and has been doing it ever more loudly over recent years, but, whatever about the strength and clarity of its argument, abortions are increasing year by year.  Most people have simply tuned out.  They don’t look to the Church any more for enlightenment.  In their eyes, the Church has little or no credibility, and perhaps is seen by most as harsh and authoritarian.  One temptation is to seek to exert power, to lobby, or to threaten.  That is the way of Empire.

There seems to be no short-term solution – not until people know in their bones the truth of the radical dignity of every living person.  To know that best, they need to know the God who loves people – all people.  But words – teaching – while helpful, are not enough.  The only words that will be listened to are words spoken in love.  People need to hear that they are loved and respected.  Only then can they face the task of living not just as free persons but as responsible persons as well.  And the love and respect that enlighten, liberate and truly empower are not communicated by words but by attitudes and deeds.

As disciples of Jesus, we are sent to our world to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is near at hand – and we do that as we cure the sick, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils – that is, as we relate to people with the obvious compassion of Jesus.  We start behind the 8-ball.  We’ve lost a lot of credibility.  Our message is largely counter-cultural.  But, as Jesus said: Don’t be afraid.  Everyone who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven.