I used to work in Youth Ministry and accompany our parish teens to summer camp. One year at LifeTeen summer camp, I met one of the hosting teens, originally from Colombia. He was a bright and capable young man with a heart for community. After a few days, I saw the hosting teens struggling to get a roof fixed in one of the cabins, and their leader tried to figure out how to do it but could not. He tried many different tactics, but none worked.

After much time, the leader asked if anybody else had any ideas on fixing it, and the Colombian kid looked up from the ground and said he worked in construction before and knew how to do it. The leader put the kid in charge, and it got done quickly, for they received instructions from someone with experience.

Confused, the leader asked the kid why he had not said anything if he had the experience. The kid answered that he was raised to be quiet and look down when someone with authority spoke. It was a safety mechanism developed at a time when guerrillas and cartel death squads were roaming rampant in Colombia. He was now in a freer place, yet his voice was still captive.

Is this familiar to us? We long for Christ and his peace, yet fear holds our minds and voices captive. What is holding us back from acting as Christ would in the world? Our fear might not be because of death squads roaming, but it is real nonetheless. Let us bring it forth and lay at the feet of our Lord in the Eucharist, that just as the mute in the Gospel, we may be freed from oppression and act and speak of his love for us.

Let us pray:

Lord, you are the Lord of love, the Lord of freedom. Help us battle our fear and live our lives according to your teachings, that we may glorify you in all we do in your name. Amen.