Gospel (Mt 10,28-33) - At that time, Jesus said to his apostles: «Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but have no power to kill the soul; rather be afraid of him who has the power to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Aren't two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not even one of them will fall to the ground without the will of your Father. Even the hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid: you are worth more than many sparrows! Therefore whoever acknowledges me before men, him will I also acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven."

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

The proposal that Jesus makes to his disciples appears paradoxical to the egocentric mentality that guides our beliefs and behaviors. In truth it expresses a profound wisdom that appears in the sentence that immediately follows: «Whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." We think of saving it by conserving, seeking reward, taking possession of others, seeking recognition and honor. Jesus warns us that spending one's energies, one's time, one's strength only to save oneself or, as they say, to realize oneself, actually leads to getting lost, that is, to a sad and often disastrous life. Only if we live for the Lord, only if we set our lives to love everyone, without setting any limits, just like Jesus did, then we will taste the joy of life. What is the point of gaining the whole world if we are neither loved nor capable of loving? This is what the apostle Paul will explain in the hymn to charity, saying that without this, that is, without love, there is no point in doing even extraordinary things, even those of generosity. Only love does not end and only the Lord saves us, because only he teaches us what love is.