The Lord delivered me from all my fears: this is from the Responsorial Psalm of today’s Mass. How comforting it is to know that this is true: the Lord does indeed deliver us from all our fears if we turn to him and place all our trust and our hope in him!
St Vincent, the deacon, who lived in Spain in the early 4th century, was one who was persecuted for the sake of righteousness: and the Kingdom of heaven was given to him! He was tortured and put to death because he refused to surrender his holy books. While imprisoned, though, he converted the warden, but was later put to death for his faith in the God who was far superior to any earthly ruler!
In the gospel today, Jesus tells us that part of discipleship is the strong possibility of being hated, ostracized, persecuted and even put to death! The servant, after all, cannot expect any better treatment than the master. It is by our willing and joyful acceptance of these challenges that we put our faith on the line and demonstrate that we truly are disciples of Jesus, children of the Father, and instruments in the hands of the Holy Spirit.
The Church in our day needs the spirit of martyrs in order to penetrate the smothering and overwhelming spirit of evil that still infiltrates all the corners of the world. Negative fear is the hallmark of the presence of evil. Deliverance from negative fear and holy fear and love are the hallmarks of one who lives in Christ Jesus. May we live in you, Jesus, this day!
Glorify the Lord with me, let us together extol his name. I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my foes!
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