Go up onto a high mountain,
Zion, herald of glad tidings;
Cry out at the top of your voice,
Jerusalem, herald of good news!
Fear not to cry out
and say to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God!
Here comes with power
the Lord God,
who rules by his strong arm;
Here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
Carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care. (Is 40:9-11)
A child told his teacher that she knew the name of one of the angels. When the teacher asked how she learned it, she said, “My mom sings it all the time. “Hark, Harold the angel sings.” Today we are not talking about any person named Harold. Today we are talking about being a herald. There is a radical difference!
Being a herald is a very important task. We need people to announce the Good News. That is, after all, what Jesus commissioned His apostles to do. As a matter of fact, that commissioning was not just to His apostles, it was to all of his disciples as well.
Then. And now.
That means you and me.
We are called by God to shout out to the world: Fear not!
Ironically, that thought, in and of itself, can be rather frightening, though, can it not?
We fear to be labelled as kooks, as religious nuts. We have seen many of them in our lifetimes and we would rather not be counted among their numbers.
Fear not!
Pope John Paul II, in one of his addresses, told his audience: “Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well. Do this in complete faith and confidence.” This reflected his complete faith and trust in God who promised to be with His people always.
Fear not!
FAITH ACTION: Ask yourself how you can herald the Good News today. When you decide, ask God for the grace and the courage, indeed, to do so.