Do not be afraid!

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today’s gospel we see Jesus preparing the apostles in view of the mission his is sending them to live out. He prepares them for a life which would not be easy, in fact a life which includes suffering and persecution. He wants to impede that the fear of suffering ends up preventing them from spreading the Word of God. The phrase “do not be afraid” is repeated three times in this passage. Jesus wants to put the apostles’ mind at rest, reassuring them that God is always with them.

In those days, the sparrows were considered worthless. Even the poor could afford to buy them. Jesus says that if God takes care of these valueless birds, so how much more would he take care of them!

These same words are repeated to us today. The truth is that unlike the apostles, we will not be facing martyrdom, but we are still called to share our faith with others, in words and in deed. As parents, our first responsibility is towards the children. Jesus is asking: “Are you letting the children come to me?” “Are you living the promise made at the children’s baptism to bring them up in the faith, to love God and their neighbour?”

Jesus knew that what he was asking from the apostles was no easy thing. He knew the suffering and persecution they would have to endure. Similarly, he knows about the obstacles and difficulties parents face to bring up their children in the faith. He encourages us today, in the same way he encouraged the apostles. If we turn to God and give him priority in our lives, God will not abandon us. However, if we give priority to others, we would be turning away from God and the help he is offering.

Jesus says that God knows us so well, that even the hair on our heads are numbered, something we ourselves can never guess.

A reading from the Gospel of 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.”

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

  1. Read the Gospel story so that you are familiar with it
  2. Reflect on what the Gospel story is saying to you. Which points would you highlight and how do they affect you now?
  3. What are your fears or obstacles that are hindering you from doing what God is asking of you today?
  4. To what extent are you ready to defend your faith, with your family, with friends, at work?
  5. Together with your family find the right time to read this gospel. The environment helps, so before you start, prepare:
    a. The Bible reading from St Matthew (10, 26-33)
    b. A lit candle
    c. Cover the table with white cloth
    d. A computer/laptop with the reading and clips
  6. Go through the steps with your kid’s (2 age groups are being suggested)
  7. Feel free to adapt to your situation
  8. Be creative 😊
  9. Go to the Prayer Spaces section to continue praying as a family

“For us Christians in particular, fear must never have the last word but rather should be an occasion to make an act of faith in God… and in life!  This means believing in the fundamental goodness of the existence that God has given us and trusting that he will lead us to a good end, even through circumstances and vicissitudes which often bewilder us.  Yet if we harbour fears, we will become inward-looking and closed off to defend ourselves from everything and everyone, and we will remain paralyzed.  We have to act!  Never close yourself in!  In the Sacred Scriptures the expression “do not be afraid” is repeated 365 times with different variations, as if to tell us that the Lord wants us to be free from fear, every day of the year.”

In today’s gospel Jesus reassures the apostles, telling them that God is always with them.

We ask:

  • How many fingers do you have?
  • What is the colour of your hair?
  • What colour are your eyes?
  • How many eyes do you have?
  • How many hairs do you have on your head?

It is easy to answer the first questions, but it is impossible to answer the last, unless you are bald!

Let us listen to today’s gospel and see the relationship of these questions with this readying. We pay attention because there is a phrase which is going to be repeated.

We will learn that:

  • God knows us more than we know ourselves
  • We can always trust in God

What was the phrase that was repeated three times? “Do not be afraid.”

Were there times when we were afraid? When?

Jesus is telling us that God is always with us even when we are afraid, he will never leave us alone. Jesus wants us to know that he is always with us.

Jesus also tells us that God knows how many hairs we have on our head! So He knows us more than we know ourselves. This shows us that God knows us well, and he knows us even more than those who love us. God loves us more and he wants to take care of us. God knows that there will be times when we will feel alone, or when we will be frightened, but he wants us to remember that he will be there, even though we cannot see him. During these times when we feel lonely, or when we are afraid, we can turn to him in prayer and he will hear us.

  • A bowl
  • Water
  • Dishwashing liquid
  • Pasta (macaroni)

In the bowl, mix the soap with the water. Put one end of the pasta shape in the mixture. Remove and put the other end in your mouth and blow. Watch the bubbles! (For this activity, you can also use shop bought Bubble Bottles or Bubble Bottles often given as souvenirs).

Allow the children to blow bubbles in the air. After some time tell them to blow a bubble while telling God about something that frightens them. They can repeat this as often as they want. In this way, they will be telling God about their fears and giving them up to him.

Jesus, today we want to pray for all daddies, take care of them and bless them.

Jesus, we also want to pray for children who are sick, for those children who are poor or for those who live in countries where there is war. We are sure that these children are very afraid. Thank you Jesus for taking care of us, and you are always with us.

Together we can listen and sing: We’re not scared

This week’s Prayer Space continues to help us remember that God is all the time thinking about us. In the gospel we heard about the sparrows, they are included in this activity too.

In today’s Gospel Jesus encourages the apostles, by telling them that God is always with them. At the same time, he warns them that when they do God’s will there will be those who will disagree with them and they will also pass through suffering.

We heard the phrase ‘do not be afraid’ three times. God wants to assure us that he is always with us. There are times, when we do the right things, but our friends disagree with us and even call us names, and they might not want to continue being friends. When they call us names, we might think that we are in the wrong. There are times, when we compare ourselves to others, and think that we are not as good as our friends.

This gospel passage shows us that God even cares for the sparrows, they are important to him, so just imagine how much more, he cares for us!

We will learn that

  • we are precious in God’s eyes
  • God is present, even in the pain and suffering

Materials Needed:

  • €20, the newer the better
  • A newspaper

We show the children a €20 and ask if they want it

We crumble the €20 in our hands. We open it; it is wrinkled. Do they still want it?

We throw it on the floor and step on it. We pick it up; now it is wrinkled and dirty. Do they still want the €20?

Yes? Why?

Because the value of the €20 did not change.

There are times when we put too much weight on what others think about us. If those close to us, repeatedly tell us that we are good for nothing, that everything we do is wrong, we will start to believe them. But God gave each one of us many talents. If we think that we are not as good as others, that we are not worth the while, that we do not make a difference, we cannot discover the talents God has given us.

God gave us these talents/beautiful qualities, for our own good and for the good of others. We are precious in the eyes of God. How can God, who takes care of the sparrows, not take care of us? He gave us these talents as gifts, but we must believe in ourselves to be able to discover them. Let the children speak about their talents, if they have abilities which they did not mention, but as parents we know about them, we talk to them about them.

Today’s gospel refers to suffering. Together we go through the newspaper and mark those articles which show suffering and pain. Suffering is a part of life. Some of this suffering is due to carelessness, others due to selfishness, or because of natural phenomena. Whatever the cause, God always accompanies us.

Thank you, God, you know us so well. You love us and have faith in us. You want us to be the best version of ourselves; give us courage not to lose hope, so as not to allow other people’s remarks affect us negatively. When you created the world, everything was right. Suffering, at times is a result of the bad choices we make.  We believe that you are with us, even in these difficult times.

We pray that you are with those who are suffering (we mention the people whom we read about in the newspaper).

Today we also want to lift all fathers to you, so that you help them in the role you have given them.

Together we can listen and sing: Watching Over You

This song introduces this week’s Prayer Space. It is linked to the gospel, to the sparrows and God’s concern for us.

How to use this space

God speaks to us in many ways, including through the Sunday Scripture readings. Here you will find useful background and activities to better understand the upcoming Sunday's Scripture readings, helping you to connect the Scripture to daily life in a meaningful way.