“Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered that will
not be uncovered, or hidden that will not be made known. Whatever you have said in
the darkness will be heard in daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places,
will be proclaimed from the housetops.
I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who put to death the body and after that can do
no more. But I will tell you whom to fear: Fear the One who, after killing you, is able to
throw you into hell. This one you must fear. Don’t you get five sparrows for two pennies?
Yet not one of them has been forgotten by God. Even the hairs of your head have been
numbered. Don’t be afraid! Are you less worthy in the eyes of God than many sparrows?
Reflect
Most people have a few fears that they must negotiate in everyday life. I have a terrible
fear of heights. I don’t even like to stand on the top step of a ladder. It is very easy to
become imprisoned by our fears, allowing them to constrain our lives, limiting our options.
Even more dangerous is when our fears distance us from our brothers and sisters,
keeping us apart in relationships marked by fear rather than love.
In the Gospel today, Jesus dispels these fears by pointing out that they can do little
permanent harm. There is only one fear that matters: the fear of being separated from
God forever. Imagine how differently we would act if we were as afraid of sinning as we
are of heights or spiders or the dark. Sin separates us from God, rupturing our relationship
with him. May God give us the grace to fear sin and to seek holiness so that we can live
with him forever in heaven.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023