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.

Reflect

“It is not about us.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus gave another set of missionary instructions
to his disciples. The disciples were told that they, as disciples, were not greater
than the Master. They were also instructed to tell in the light whatever they heard in the
dark. They must not be afraid because they were being taken care of by God. Lastly, they
were to acknowledge Jesus before others. In other words, it is Jesus who was sending
them into mission. Hence, the disciples were to bring Jesus and Jesus’ message in their
mission. Clearly, the mission does not belong to any of Jesus’ followers. The mission is God’s.
By virtue of our being followers of Jesus, we are all missionaries in our own little ways.
Thus, we are always challenged to resist the temptation to think that whenever we perform
any of our missionary duty – that it is about us. It is not about us. It is about God who called
us to be instruments through which his mission can be realized. Our role is to participate in
God’s mission. It is about God who always cares for sparrows and who certainly cares for
us. It is about him. It is not about us.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2024