IN GOD’S HANDS

12 JULY 2025

SATURDAY OF THE FOURTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

IN GOD’S HANDS

Introduction

       “Do not be afraid,” said Joseph to his brothers. He forgave them, realizing that his sufferings caused by them were the seed of the future of God’s people.

       “Do not be afraid.” says Jesus to his disciples three times. Even when persecuted and apparently failing in their mission, like Jesus, their master, they are in God’s hands. God takes care of his own. God’s kingdom cannot be built up without crosses and sacrifices, not without being contested by a world that wants to create its own future.

Opening Prayer

Dependable God,
you are present with us in all things,
even in our miseries,
and you take care of your own.
Deepen our trust in you
and make us afraid of only one thing:
to become instruments of evil.
Make us instead messengers of the good news
that evil can be overcome
and that your goodness and justice will prevail.
Give us this faith and trust
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Reading: Gen 49:29-32; 50:15-26a

Jacob gave his sons this charge:
"Since I am about to be taken to my people,
bury me with my fathers in the cave that lies
in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
the cave in the field of Machpelah,
facing on Mamre, in the land of Canaan,
the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite
for a burial ground.
There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried,
and so are Isaac and his wife Rebekah,
and there, too, I buried Leah–
the field and the cave in it
that had been purchased from the Hittites."

Now that their father was dead,
Joseph's brothers became fearful and thought,
"Suppose Joseph has been nursing a grudge against us
and now plans to pay us back in full for all the wrong we did him!"
So they approached Joseph and said:
"Before your father died, he gave us these instructions:
'You shall say to Joseph, Jacob begs you
to forgive the criminal wrongdoing of your brothers,
who treated you so cruelly.'
Please, therefore, forgive the crime that we,
the servants of your father's God, committed."
When they spoke these words to him, Joseph broke into tears.
Then his brothers proceeded to fling themselves down before him
and said, "Let us be your slaves!"
But Joseph replied to them:
"Have no fear.  Can I take the place of God?
Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good,
to achieve his present end, the survival of many people.
Therefore have no fear.
I will provide for you and for your children."
By thus speaking kindly to them, he reassured them.

Joseph remained in Egypt, together with his father's family.
He lived a hundred and ten years.
He saw Ephraim's children to the third generation,
and the children of Manasseh's son Machir
were also born on Joseph's knees.

Joseph said to his brothers: "I am about to die.
God will surely take care of you and lead you out of this land to the land
that he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
Then, putting the sons of Israel under oath, he continued,
"When God thus takes care of you,

you must bring my bones up with you from this place."
Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7

(see Psalm 69:33) Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!

Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.

R. Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!

Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.

R. Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!

You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.

R. Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!

Alleluia: 1 Pt 4:14

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: Mt 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."

Intercessions

–   For the Church, that free from all paralyzing fears it may have the courage born of faith to bear witness to the demands of the gospel, we pray:

–   For presiders in the liturgy, that they may have a deep sense of God’s holiness and of their own limitations and shortcomings, we pray:

–   For all of us, that we may not fear those who threaten or ridicule us for our faith, as we live in trust of God who carries us in his hands, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Believable and trustworthy God,
your Son Jesus Christ committed himself
to the fight against evil and persecution,
yet he himself was its victim.
As he encounters us here
in these signs of bread and wine,
may he help us to understand better
that the disciple is not above the master,
that we cannot make your kingdom come true
without being torn apart
nor without being contested by the world.
We trust in you through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Our holy God,
we have shared the table of your Son;
we are willing to share his life and mission.
Make us unafraid, as he was fearless.
Help us to be convinced
in the deepest of ourselves
that our life and death are in your hands
and that our crosses bear within themselves
the seeds of joy and happiness.
Give us this faith and strength
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

Do not be afraid of professing your faith or of living it. Trust in God, who stands behind you. May God strengthen and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Commentary

FEAR Vs FAITH
Fear has a positive vital function: it signals danger and prevents us from taking risky, foolish actions. What keeps us safe from possible dangers and unpleasant situations in life is our “Fear.” But in the Gospel, Jesus teaches us on the contrary—He repeats, “Do not be afraid.” For a believer in Christ, fear is not an option.

Fear hinders courageous actions and resolute choices. For those who have made the decision to follow Jesus, fear is the worst enemy. It could be the fear of punishment, fear of failures in life, fear of losing friendships, of being deprived of one’s properties, fear of death or of being killed, and the list goes on forever. It is normal to be afraid. But whoever is afraid is no longer free, and if dominated and guided by fear, we end up paralysed.

Matthew, as he writes the Gospel, is addressing his Community in Antioch, where many of the faithful are afraid, because of the violence unleashed by the enemies of Christ. They fear that the Mission of Christ might fail. That’s why he gives the reassurance: “What I tell you in darkness, tell it in broad daylight; and what you hear in private, proclaim from the housetops” (vv. 26-27).

Matthew announces the Lord's reassurance that despite the trials and hardships, the gospel will spread and transform the world. They probably will not see the seeds of light and goodness that they have sown with toil and pain germinate. However, a believer in Christ must cultivate the joyful certainty that the harvest will grow and be plentiful. Their work will not be in vain; no enemy force will be able to prevent the realisation of God’s plan.

The second reason for fear is the fear of being mistreated or even put to death (v. 28). What harm can the enemies of the gospel do? To offend, accuse unjustly, beat, confiscate property, take away life! But, physical death would not be the ultimate evil. No violence is capable of depriving the disciple of the only lasting treasure: the life he has received from God and that no one can take away.

The third reason persecution frightens us is that it often affects not only us but also those around us. Jesus responds by pointing out the providence of the heavenly Father. No one is left outside of God's love and kindness. We will always be rescued in a prodigious way, not because of any of our merits, but because our Heavenly Father cannot but care for his children.

============

12 July 2025

Matthew 10:24-33

“Do Not Be Afraid”

Today’s Gospel brings us words that we must carry close to our hearts: “Do not be afraid.” Jesus says it not once, but three times. It is not a suggestion—it is an invitation, spoken to disciples sent out into a world that will resist them. He prepares them, and us, for mission: to proclaim His Kingdom with boldness, even when the world tries to silence us.

The first challenge Jesus names is the temptation to water down the Gospel—to make it more acceptable, less demanding. We face this often: the pressure to be quiet, to blend in, to avoid speaking uncomfortable truths. But Jesus tells us: “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light.” Let us proclaim Christ—not ourselves, not ideologies, but the living Jesus—with clarity, humility, and courage.

Second, He speaks of persecution. This is not a remote possibility. In every generation, Christians suffer for their faith—some in subtle ways, others in violent ones. Today, many are martyred simply for belonging to Christ. Jesus reminds us: Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Our lives are not in the hands of the powerful, but in the hands of God.

The third trial is perhaps the hardest: the feeling that God has abandoned us. Even Jesus knew this anguish on the cross. But He teaches us to trust. The Father does not forget a single sparrow; He certainly will not forget you.

Let us stay close to God in prayer. Let us not be afraid of being witnesses—witnesses of truth, of love, of hope. And may Mary, who trusted God in every moment of her life, help us to do the same.

Let us go forward with courage.

“Do Not Be Afraid” -- Youtube