The Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time brings Jesus' reassuring words to his disciples as he prepares them for mission. In a world that can seem threatening and hostile to faith, Jesus speaks comfort: "Do not be afraid."
Three times in a single passage, Jesus repeats this command:
"Therefore don’t be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known." — Matthew 10:26, 28, 31
Fear is perhaps the most common obstacle to faithful discipleship. We fear rejection, ridicule, loss, suffering, and death itself. Jesus addresses each of these fears head-on.
Jesus grounds his command in the Father's loving providence:
"'Aren’t two sparrows sold for an assarion coin? Not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." — Matthew 10:29-30
If God attends to sparrows—small, common birds of little value in the marketplace—how much more does he care for human beings made in his image? The God who numbers the hairs on our heads knows us intimately and watches over us constantly.
While commanding us not to fear people or circumstances, Jesus does point to one appropriate fear:
"Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna." — Matthew 10:28
This is not the fear of a slave but the reverent awe of a child before a loving Father. It is the recognition that God alone has ultimate authority, and his judgment matters more than any human opinion.
The Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time invites us to examine our fears. What holds us back from faithful witness? What makes us compromise or stay silent? Jesus speaks to those fears today: "Do not be afraid. You are valuable to God. He sees you, knows you, and cares for you."