💖 HOMILY - JULY 11 💖

First Reading - Isaiah 6:1-8 

Gospel - Matthew 10:24-33

A young man once asked an elderly priest, "Father, after so many years of serving the Lord, what have you learned?"

The priest smiled and replied, "I've learned that fear makes us look at our weaknesses, but faith makes us look at God's strength."

Those simple words capture the heart of today's readings. We all experience fear. We fear failure, rejection, uncertainty, illness, and sometimes even what God might ask of us. But today's readings remind us that God does not call us because we are fearless. He calls us, stays with us, and gives us the courage we need.

The first reading takes us into one of the most beautiful scenes in the Bible. Isaiah sees the Lord seated on His heavenly throne. The Temple is filled with God's glory, and the angels cry out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts."

Standing before such holiness, Isaiah becomes painfully aware of himself. He cries out, "Woe is me! I am a man of unclean lips."

That reaction is very human.

Whenever we come close to God's holiness, we become aware of our own weaknesses. Like Isaiah, we may think, "Lord, surely You have the wrong person. I'm not good enough. I'm not holy enough. I don't have what it takes."

But God does something unexpected.

He does not condemn Isaiah. Instead, one of the seraphim touches his lips with a burning coal and says, "Your guilt is taken away, and your sin is forgiven."

Only then does God ask, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?"

And Isaiah responds with those beautiful words: "Here I am. Send me."

Notice the order.

First comes God's grace.

Then comes God's mission.

Isaiah is able to say "yes" not because he is perfect but because God has first purified and strengthened him.

The same pattern continues in the Gospel.

Jesus sends His disciples into a world where they will face misunderstanding and opposition. He does not pretend that following Him will always be easy. In fact, He tells them that they may be rejected just as He was.

Yet three times in today's Gospel, Jesus repeats the same message in different ways: "Do not be afraid."

Why?

Not because there will be no difficulties, but because they will never face those difficulties alone.

Jesus reminds them that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without the Father's knowledge. Then He says something even more beautiful: "Even the hairs of your head are all counted."

That is Jesus' way of saying that God's care for us is personal.

Sometimes we think God only pays attention to the big events of history. But Jesus tells us that our Heavenly Father knows every detail of our lives. He knows our joys, our struggles, our disappointments, and even the worries we carry quietly in our hearts.

Nothing escapes His loving gaze.

That is why we need not live in fear.

Fear often makes us hide.

It keeps us from forgiving.

It keeps us from trusting.

It keeps us from responding generously to God's call.

But faith gives us the courage to take the next step, even when we cannot see the whole path ahead.

Jesus also says, "Everyone who acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven."

Most of us may never be asked to give our lives as martyrs.

But every day we are given opportunities to acknowledge Christ.

When we choose honesty over dishonesty.

When we forgive instead of seeking revenge.

When we defend someone who is treated unfairly.

When we remain faithful to prayer even in busy times.

When we quietly live according to the Gospel.

These ordinary choices become our daily witness to Christ.

Dear friends, today's readings invite us to reflect on three simple questions.

What fear is keeping me from responding more generously to God?

Do I trust that God's grace is greater than my weaknesses?

And how can I acknowledge Christ more faithfully through the way I live each day?

As we celebrate this Eucharist, let us remember that the God who called Isaiah still calls each one of us. He knows our weaknesses, yet He continues to trust us with His mission.

May He purify our hearts, strengthen our faith, and free us from every fear.

Then, like Isaiah, may we have the courage to say, "Here I am, Lord. Send me."

And like the disciples, may we go into the world with confidence, knowing that our Heavenly Father watches over us with a love that never fail.