Fear Not 220

Beloved brethren in Christ, gathered here in the fading light of this day, let us turn our hearts to the words of the prophet Malachi, the last voice of the Old Covenant, who speaks to a people weary from exile and longing for restoration. In the fourth chapter, verse two, he declares: 'But unto you that fear my name, the sun of justice shall arise, and health in his wings: and you shall go out, and leap like calves of the herd.' These words, spoken some four centuries before the Incarnation, echo the promise of the Messiah amid the ruins of the Temple and the doubts of a scattered Israel. The Early Church Fathers, those pillars who guarded the apostolic deposit, saw in this prophecy the very dawn of our salvation. St. Jerome, in his commentary on the Minor Prophets, reminds us that the 'sun of justice' is none other than Christ our Lord, whose coming dispels the shadows of the Law and brings the healing rays of grace. Origen, in his homilies on the prophets, likens this rising sun to the illumination of the soul, where the fear of the Lord's name— that reverent awe born of love rather than terror—prepares the heart for divine visitation. As the Catena Aurea gathers these voices, we hear how the wings of this sun carry not only light but the balm of forgiveness, restoring what sin has withered. Consider the historical moment: Malachi addressed a post-exilic community tempted to despair, much as the early Christians faced persecution under Rome. The prophet contrasts the arrogant and the wicked, who shall be burned like stubble, with those who fear the name. This fear, as St. Augustine teaches in his Enarrationes on the Psalms, is the beginning of wisdom, a filial reverence that opens us to the healing embrace of the Savior. In the wings of this sun we find the outstretched arms of the Crucified, from which flow the sacraments that make us whole. And then the leaping calves! What joyful image of freedom does the prophet paint? Once bound by the yoke of sin and the weight of the Law, the redeemed soul bounds forth like a young calf released into the meadow. St. John Chrysostom, in his discourses on the Gospels, draws this to the resurrection hope, where the faithful, healed by Christ's rising, dance in the liberty of the children of God. The early martyrs, facing the arena, embodied this leap of faith, their fear of the Name transforming terror into triumph. My children, as evening descends, let this verse kindle in you a holy anticipation. The Sun of Justice has arisen in our midst; His wings offer healing for every wound. Go forth in that fear which is love, and leap with the joy of the redeemed. For in Christ, the ancient promise is fulfilled, and we are made new. #FearNot220 #FearNotUNPLUGGED #108of220 #Catholic

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