Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

Last ten Sundays, our Scripture readings called us to walk in faith, be men and women of hope, nurture a confident and trusting relationship with the Lord, have courage to face the challenges of following Jesus as his disciples, to listen to the voice of God, to go to a quiet place with the Lord, to show compassion in generous and sacrificial giving, to be strengthened by the bread of Life, to take Jesus in as our bread of life, to be disciples who are in a continuous process of transformation in Christ, to make wise choices, to choose God and God’s way in Jesus, to give witness to our commitment to Christ as we go about doing our daily chores and fulfilling our responsibilities….

 

Today, we celebrate the twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. In our first reading, we hear Isaiah of Jerusalem assuring the returning exiles that God blesses their return, and that they should be confident and unafraid. The Jews were returning to their homeland after decades of exile in Babylon. Their arrival causes great friction with other tribes already there, and so they have reason to be afraid. Isaiah says to those who are frightened and weighed down by their fears, “Be strong, fear not! Here is your God.” He speaks of the eyes of the blind being opened, the ears of the deaf being cleared, the lame leaping like a stag, and the tongue of the mute singing when Israel returns home after the Babylonian Exile. The promised redemption is described in terms of health, healing, and well-being for the disabled.  God will not only bring them home but also rehabilitate them.

 

“Be strong, fear not! Here is your God” is an ongoing challenge that was offered to Israel during their long history of salvation. It is said that the Bible uses the phrases, “fear not” or “be not afraid” and other similar expressions 365 times. The exact number is unimportant. What is important is to know that the Bible calls us to be unafraid because “Here is your God.” It is faith in the nearness of our God that makes us unafraid.  Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets, Mary, Joseph, Peter, Paul and all great men and women of the Bible heard this call to be strong and unafraid and they did and fulfilled their God-given mission.

 

 You will remember the story of David and Goliath.  David said to Goliath, the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands……for the battle is the LORD’s.” The frightened Israelites found a new freedom because young man David was unafraid, and David was unafraid because he trusted in the Lord.

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