When we are faced with challenges in life, we react in different ways. Either we lose hope, thinking that God and friends have deserted us and as a result abandon our goal. On the other hand, there is the possibility that we still hold on, with the belief that God is a faithful friend, who does not desert his own, and who is able to deliver us from any situation.
The assurance of the presence and guidance of God in our lives is surely the greatest comfort any human being can know. That is why imagining a future without God and his mighty hand in our lives, brings fear, dread, anxiety, and hopelessness. Contrarily, when we contemplate a future, with the full knowledge that God will accompany us, it makes us bold, determined, fearless, and secure. Thus, reminding ourselves of the strength of God, and the fact that he is guiding our steps fills us with positivity and hope.
Out of Love
That is actually the situation Jesus finds himself in today‘s Gospel Pericope. The passage shows Jesus addressing Herod Antipas of Galilee, who has threaten to stop him. Jesus calls him a fox to show how insignificant he is with regard to God‘s plan for his life. Although, Herod may be cunning and dangerous, he cannot, with his earthly powers, hinder Jesus from doing good and realizing his mission. In John 10:18, Jesus said “No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.“ This passage makes it evident that Jesus was not crucified because of the betrayal of Judas or the injustice of Pilate. His death was not the death of a martyr overpowered by his persecutors. He intentionally went to Jerusalem to lay down his life, out of love for all, including Herod Antipas. Being God, he was in control of all that. He calmed the sea, walked through the crowd that wanted to throw him off a cliff and rose Lazarus from death to demonstrate his power. We are therefore not to underestimate his power in our lives, since he has promised to be with us till the end of the world.
Armor
Taking hold of his mighty hand remains important in difficult times. This is why St. Paul asks us to put on the full armor of God, so that we can draw strength from him, who has made himself part of our lives through the grace of baptism. Receiving the armor of God daily through prayers saves us from being wounded or discouraged due to difficulties. It delivers us from the fear of being misunderstood in our task of witnessing to the good news. The armor reminds us of the task of evangelization, which we have embraced through our baptism and the need to do this work in the manner of Jesus, with love towards all including those in authority and those who are intentional in making the work difficult for us and without fear, because our fears depict the lack of clarity about who God is and who we are in Christ.
