19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

“Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid,” as it says in today’s Gospel. I think everyone has felt fear at some point. What are we afraid of in our daily lives? It varies from person to person, but I’d like to focus on just one thing here: the fact that everyone fears being forgotten. While being forgotten is certainly frightening, please remember that the value of our lives is not determined by the memories of others. Even if we are forgotten in our daily lives, God can never forget any one of us.

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“Lord, help me,” it says in today’s Gospel. This passage from Scripture “is telling each of us whom we should turn to for help when we are tossed about by life’s problems.” Asking for help is not a sign of weakness; rather, it is a sign of wisdom—the wisdom to recognize that we cannot do anything on our own. Let us set out on this week’s journey keeping in mind that “an outstretched hand asking for help is a bridge that brings us together. Sometimes, the greatest courage is acknowledging that we need others.”