Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Exodus 14:5-18; Matthew 12:38-42)
It is said that the command, “Fear not,” appears 365 times
in the Bible. That is one time for every
day of the year. Jesus frequently uses
the term, but in today’s first reading Moses says it to the Israelites. The Israelites need not fear because God has
taken up their cause.
At this point in their formation the Israelites have not
known the Lord very long. True, they witnessed
the ten plagues that freed them from Pharoah’s clutch. But they also saw how Egyptian magicians
duplicated some of these wonders. To
convince them of both his power and his love, God will soon destroy the mighty
Egyptian army.
We need not fear as well although it is wise to fear God
when we are young. Rather than fear we
should stay close to God in prayer.
There nothing can harm us.
