FIRST READING
Isaiah 6:1-8
In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings: with two they veiled their faces, with two they veiled their feet, and with two they hovered aloft.
They cried one to the other, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!” At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke.
Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
He touched my mouth with it and said, “See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said; “send me!”
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5
R. (1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed; robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
And he has made the world firm, not to be moved. Your throne stands firm from of old; from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed: holiness befits your house, O LORD, for length of days.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
ALLELUIA
1 Peter 4:14
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of God rests upon you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
Matthew 10:24-33
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household! “Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
REFLECTIONS:
What does fear have to do with the kingdom of God?
Fear is a powerful force. It can lead us to panic and flight or it can
spur us to faith and action. The fear of God is the antidote to the fear
of losing one's life. I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered
me from all my fears.O fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear
him have no want! Come, O sons, listen to me, I will teach you the
fear of the Lord. (Psalm 34:4,9,11) What is godly fear? It is reverence
for the One who made us in love and who sustains us in mercy and kindness.
The greatest injury or loss which we can experience is not physical but
spiritual the loss of one's soul to the power of hell. A healthy fear
of God leads to spiritual maturity, wisdom and right judgment and it frees
us from the tyranny of sinful pride, cowardice especially in the face
of evil, and spiritual deception. Do you trust in God's grace and mercy
and submit to his word?
When Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God he met opposition and hostility.
He tells his disciples that they must expect the same treatment if they
are to live and to proclaim the reign of God. There is both a warning and
a privilege in his statement. Just as Jesus had to carry his cross, so
the disciples must carry their cross and not try to evade it. To suffer
for the faith is to share in the work of Christ. As one hymn states: Lift
high the Cross of Christ! Tread where his feet have trod. The Holy
Spirit gives us power and grace to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. Do
you trust in Gods grace to carry your cross for Jesus sake?
"Lord Jesus, it is my joy and privilege to be your disciple. Give me
strength and courage to bear any hardship and suffering which may come
my way in your service. May I witness to others the joy of the gospel."
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