Live your faith out loud!

XII Sunday A Matthew 10:26-33 Jesus said to the Twelve: "Fear no one. 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."

OUR FEARS A few months ago, I was driving from the Detroit airport here to Lima. I hadn’t eaten and I saw the golden arches beckoning. I also needed to make a rest stop so I parked the car and walked in McDonald’s. I placed my order and was told that I could sit down, and my order would be brought to me. I got into a booth waiting for my quarter pounder with cheese. After I sat down a group of noisy teenagers came in and sat right across from me. The waiter brought me my food and just as I was about to bless myself, I looked up at the teenagers. Embarrassed I just bowed my head and said the blessing quietly. A few moments later the order was brought to the noisy teenagers. When the food was placed on their table, they became quiet. They all made the sign of the cross and together said, “Bless us O Lord and these our gifts…” Boy, was I put to shame that day. What are you afraid of? Many times, we are afraid of being embarrassed, of feeling uncomfortable or making others feel uncomfortable. We don’t want to risk not being liked or being ridiculed. We don’t want to lose our friends no one wants to rock the boat. Often times we are worried about looking good. We are afraid to make a fool of ourselves; to express our true convictions, we are afraid to witness to our faith. We fear that might be criticized or to be rejected. We don’t want to be classified as “one of those.” When it comes to politics, I don’t blame you. I really don’t want to be classified as belonging to any political party. There is plenty to criticize in both major parties. But when it comes to religion, I hope that I am not afraid to be classified as a Catholic or as a Christian. I don’t want to be classified as a member of any political party because we know that any moment a political leader will let you down. But go ahead and label me a Catholic Christian, that is what I am. That is what is most important to me. When it comes to our faith, we are called to put our trust in God. It isn’t the institution or any given bishop or priest. It is God who we are called to put our trust in. If we trust in God, it does not lead us to flee conflict or to shut ourselves comfortably in isolation. No, the opposite is true, with faith in God we are given the courage to live our faith boldly, to be more generous, to take risks. We have our faith in God, and we know that God will never fail us or ever let us down. With faith in God, we not only live our faith, but we profess it and share it. Faith does not create cowards, but men and women who are resolute and bold. A person of faith doesn’t play it safe but rather is a person of resolution and commitment. In the Church we are blest by the examples of the martyrs. Men and women and faith who were not afraid to risk their lives in the proclamation of the Gospel. I think of men like Bishop Romero who stood up to the military in El Salvador to defend the poor. I think of Jose Sanchez del Rio, a 15-year-old boy who lost his life in Mexico when he professed his faith. I think of Agnes Thanh, one of the Vietnamese martyrs who lost her life because she offered shelter to her parish priest when the government was searching for him to kill him. We are just one year into the pontificate of Pope Leo. We are not exactly sure what kind of pope he will be. I am sure that even pope Leo is still finding his voice. His seems to be a quiet man but in the face of injustice, war and violence he is boldly speaking out. After he was criticized publicly, he was asked if he was afraid. Pope Leo responded saying he was not afraid of any administration, and he was not afraid to speak the truth of the Gospel. When a believer truly hears in one’s heart the words of Jesus, “do not be afraid.” The believer doesn’t hide one’s faith but rather lives it. Thanks to the teenagers in Findlay, they not only expressed their faith but also help this old priest to express his as well.