Fear not; you are worth more

One day I met a man who stopped me and requested that I look at the skies. He exclaimed, ‘See! All this is manipulation. They talk about climate change only to cause fear and panic, but there is nothing; there is nothing, I tell you.’

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Dumbfounded, I asked him: what evidence do you have for such an assertion? He retorted, are you blind? Look once more at the sky. I said nothing and asked him to leave because I was in a hurry.

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People are troubled, and fear has engulfed the world. How will the future generation survive the climate change? Is there a possibility of the third world war? What about the family? How will they look tomorrow with the modern social trends of gender equality? What about the church? Will they be closed down for lack of faithful? The list can go on and on, but today Jesus is telling us, FEAR NOT; YOU ARE WORTH MORE.

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Do not fear men, especially close friends, who look for your downfall, as they did to Jeremiah, whose close friends kept watch to see him fall (20:10d). There goes the saying: “Lord help me to know my friends, for I know my enemies”. God is to you a mighty warrior; therefore, you shall not stumble (20:11a).

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Do not fear those who persecute you for living and proclaiming the words of the gospel. Jesus says: “What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what you hear in your ear, proclaim on the housetops”. (10:27). Being a living witness is a way of the cross that many would not dare; nevertheless, Jesus says, do not be afraid, fear him who can destroy the soul and the body (10:28). Besides, you are worth more, for God knows your going and coming (cf. Ps 121).

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Lastly, do not fear death. Death is a result of sin that came through Adam. But grace and life came through Jesus. In the beautiful words of St. Paul, “ … death reigned through the one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ (5:17).

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Therefore, we should fear not, for we are worth more and safe in Jesus Christ.

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Amen

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