God’s intimate, watchful care over our souls offers the ultimate antidote to the human anxieties of pain, guilt, and death.
GOSPEL PASSAGE: Matthew 10:26-33
Jesus said to the Twelve: Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, not secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my Heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
GOSPEL REFELCTIONS:
“Fear no one,” says Jesus in today’s Gospel reading as He sends out His twelve disciples on a mission (Matthew 10:26). These twelve are to carry out His mission in the wider community and to act as His emissaries in places where He cannot go. Jesus gives them authority—authority to cast out demons, to cure illnesses, and to raise the dead. He gives His disciples the means to counter what causes the most fear: pain, guilt, and death.
These three realities were called the “Tragic Triad” of human existence by Viktor Frankl: the human condition of being vulnerable and susceptible to physical and psychological hurt; being fallible and possessing the prerogative of becoming aware of having fallen short of an ideal; and being finite, living with an awareness of the passage of time and the transitoriness of life. (1)
Frankl spoke of Tragic Optimism in the face of the Tragic Triad. It consists of the possibility of actualizing creative, experiential and attitudinal values, through which one can (1) turn suffering into a human achievement; (2) derive from guilt the opportunity to change oneself for the better; and (3) derive from life’s transitoriness an incentive to take responsible action. (1:129-130)
In the face of this “Tragic Triad of Human Suffering”—pain, guilt, and death—Jesus repeats the message: “Do not be afraid” (Matthew 10:28). Do not be afraid of people who may cause physical or mental pain but cannot kill the soul. Instead, avoid falling into the traps of false prophets and movements that promise quick shortcuts and easy solutions to life’s complicated challenges—those that entice with power, greed, prestige, success, and pleasure, but respond with indifference to the suffering of others. Beware of teachings that lead away from the paths of kindness, gentleness, love, and forgiveness, and avoid everything that feeds into pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. These only hinder spiritual growth.
Pride is the excessive belief in one’s own abilities and a deference to others marked by an air of superiority. It is a false sense of human accomplishment based on a mistaken notion of self-sufficiency, which leads to self-aggrandizement, carelessness, and an indifference that views the worth of others purely through the lens of utility. (2)
Greed is an intense and disproportionate preoccupation with material possessions, wealth, and status. It leads to a false sense of self-worth based on what one has rather than what one is, ultimately resulting in selfishness. (2)
Lust is an intense and inordinate desire for sensory gratification, which leads to self-centeredness and causes one to consider others as objects to be used, discarded, and replaced. (2)
Envy is a desperate longing for someone else’s traits, accomplishments, or status. It is often accompanied by resentment and a desire to see that person fail, which breeds irony, pessimism, and cynicism. (2)
Gluttony is a gross and uncontrolled overindulgence in the consumption of food or drink to the point of waste and self-harm, stemming from a lack of self-control and self-discipline. (2)
Wrath is an uncontrolled feeling of anger and hatred, paired with desires for vengeance, that results in rage and violence. (2)
Sloth is a blatant disregard for one’s own self-worth and a lack of investment in one’s spiritual development. It results in neglecting one’s spiritual life and aspirations, as well as disregarding or disparaging the efforts of others in this regard. (2)
It is natural to feel anxiety when faced with the existential givens of pain, guilt, and death. But instead of trying to mask this anxiety—for example with pride, to deny our vulnerability, or greed, to secure a finite existence, or lust and gluttony to numb the pain—it is more constructive to acknowledge it and to embrace it. That way, the energy spent hiding vulnerability can be turned into facing vulnerability and finding a creative way of dealing with it. The energy of hoarding to avoid dealing with finiteness can be turned into building genuine relationships and experiential encounters that time cannot touch. The force required to numb a pain can be turned into the gentle strength needed to heal it, transforming our struggles into a source of wisdom and empathy.
To counter the effects of these tendencies, Jesus sends His disciples into the world with instructions on the virtues: humility, generosity, chastity, gratitude, kindness, temperance, patience, and diligence.
The antidote to pride is humility. Humility is closely related to the virtues of faith and hope, as described by Thomas Aquinas, Saint Augustine, and Saint Paul. It means accepting our littleness in front of God, accepting His revealed truths, and accepting His promises even though they are unseen. These fosters hope and trust in the expectation of salvation and eternal life in the kingdom of God, providing perseverance and motivation during difficult times. (3)
Greed can be countered with charity. Charity is a selfless and generous regard for others, born out of an unconditional love for God and neighbor, which brings trust in God’s judgment and peace of mind and heart. (3)
Lust can be countered with chastity. Chastity refers to the respectful and faithful management of one’s physical and psychological energies in a selfless way that avoids objectification and self-centeredness. It is rooted in healthy self-mastery and prudence—the ability to discern the best course of action in any given situation. (3)
Envy can be countered with the virtue of gratitude. Gratitude involves recognizing and acknowledging the gifts of God and giving Him thanks for them. It leads us away from hard-heartedness regarding what we perceive to be lacking in our lives, enabling us to forgive those who have caused us pain. Gratitude is tied to humility because it requires us to rely entirely on trust in God’s justice, love, and benevolence. It is also related to justice—the constant and firm will to give others their due, thereby respecting the rights of all and promoting harmony in society. (3)
Gluttony can be countered with temperance. Temperance is the practice of self-control and balance, requiring us to resist extremes and find moderation in physical pleasures and desires. (3)
Wrath can be countered with patience. It is related to prudence, the ability to discern the best course of action in any given situation and make the right choices. (3)
Sloth can be countered with diligence, which is a steady commitment to persist in fulfilling one’s duties and growing in faith. It is closely related to fortitude—the firmness of mind and will to do what is right, especially when facing difficulties, persecution, and fear. (3)
According to the Catechism, the virtues are:
“…Firm attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and faith. They make possible ease, self-mastery, and joy leading a morally good life… They are acquired by human effort. They are the fruit and seed of morally good acts; they dispose all the powers of the human being for communion with divine love.” (CCC 1804)
Jesus then points to a tiny sparrow, much like the ones we see every day chirping and hopping around—the cheapest commodity at the local marketplace—and says: “Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge” (Matthew 10: 29). Amidst the fear of novelty and an unknown future that His disciples feel, and the potential hurt of rejection, mistrust, or dejection that they may experience, He points to a tiny bird and insists on belief and trust: “Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:30-31).
One cannot but smile at Jesus’ remark: “You are worth more than many sparrows.” It is deeply comforting to know that God does not think in terms of a contemporary market economy with fluctuating trends, uncertain political interests, and supply and demand. The value of a human person infinitely surpasses those categories.
As the little bird takes off, Jesus looks up toward the heavens and remarks, “Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my Heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father” (Matthew 10: 32-33). He orients our attention toward a source of hope that may be unseen but remains a firm promise: God sees our efforts and will not abandon those who call on Him.
The take-home message of this reading is to trust that God walks with us, even when the skies are cloudy and rain is in the forecast, or when things move slowly and tediously and there is little joy in our routine tasks. As Saint Paul wrote in his first letter to the Thessalonians:
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you… Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of the prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thess 5:16-22)
And in closing, Saint Paul says:
“May the God of peace sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.” (1 Thess 5:23-24)
Sources:
- Frankl, V. E. (2014). Man’s Search for Meaning. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
- Britannica (2026). Seven Deadly sins. Retrieved from: www.britannice.com. Accessed: June 21, 2026.
- The Holy See (2026). The Human Virtues. Retrieved from: https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_three/section_one/chapter_one/article_7/i_the_human_virtues.html. Accessed; June 21, 2026.