Gospel: July 12, 2025
July 12, 2025 (Saturday)
14th Week in Ordinary Time
Psalter: Week 2 (Green/White)
Blessed Virgin Mary
Ps 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7
Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad.
1st Reading: Genesis 49:29-32; 50:15-26a*
Gospel: Matthew 10:24-33
A student is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. A student should be content to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If the head of the household has been called Beelzebul, how much more, those of his household! So, do not be afraid of them! There is nothing covered that will not be uncovered. There is nothing hidden that will not be made known. What I am telling you in the dark, you must speak in the light. What you hear in private, proclaim from the housetops. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but have no power to kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of him who can destroy both body and soul in hell. For a few cents you can buy two sparrows. Yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father knowing. As for you, every hair of your head has been counted. Do not be afraid: you are worth more than many sparrows! Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. Whoever rejects me before others, I will reject before my Father in heaven.
Reflection:
“The fear of the Lord.”
Reflecting on this Gospel, Pope Benedict XVI taught that those who fear God are not afraid. The statement seems to be contradictory until we realize that the fear of the Lord is an attitude of reverential love, rather than some kind of terror. This is why Jesus tells us not to be afraid. The Psalms and Proverbs teach us that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps 111:10, Prov 1:7). Dread or terror could hardly be the first step to a life of wisdom. Rather, acknowledging that God is Lord and Master of one’s life is the first step to a life well lived. And if we recognize that we are in God’s hands, then fear of what might assail us in life will dissipate. Therefore, those who fear God and trust in his loving providence are not afraid, since with God we can climb any wall (Psalm 18:32). Challenges and criticism will come, says Jesus, just as they came his way, but we are to trust in the loving care of the God who knows us intimately, right down to every hair on our heads.
