OVERCOMING OUR FEARS

Fear is a phenomenon associated with human beings. It is something we should deal with. The fears of death, failure, loss of something precious, and other kinds of fear pose a threat to our happiness and lives. Awareness of God’s presence is one sure way of dealing with fear. In 2020, during the pandemic, I was in a parish where I carried out my usual pastoral assignments. On a certain day, as I concluded my evening prayer, I received a call from a family friend who resides in Boston, Massachusetts. It was not a pleasant news. Her hoarse-sounding voice whispered to me over the phone, “Fr. I tested positive for covid”. I could feel the weight of her frustration, devastation, and despondency. What came to my mind immediately was the scriptural verse from the Gospel of Matthew in today’s liturgy where Jesus said to his disciples, “Have no fear”. In other words, “do not be afraid”. I calmly told her to be fearless, and that she would be fine. To the glory of God, she survived the pandemic. The first thing to deal with whenever we feel we are in danger is our fear.

Fear eats up our inner strength and exposes our weaknesses. Fear destroys our survival instinct. Even in the face of an apparent calamity and life-threatening incident, fear can only cripple our defenses and in some cases make us succumb without minimal resistance. Fear is neither good for our bodily health nor for our spiritual well-being.

As God’s children, we are not supposed to fear anything or anyone but God alone. Moses, the spiritual leader of Israel was well aware of this truth when he told the Israelites who were on their way out from Egypt but obstructed by the sea, to “Fear not, stand firm and see what the Lord will do for you today” (Exodus 14:13). Jesus, the ‘new Moses’, says, “do not be afraid of those who can only kill the body but have no power over the soul” (Matthew 10:28). In his epistle, Paul reminds Timothy and all of us that we have not received a spirit of fear but of power” (2Timothy 1:17). This is good news for all of us and ought not to be forgotten anytime any day. It does not matter what you are currently experiencing or what your situation is. Do not be afraid, says the Lord your Savior.

In a world, where our peace is intermittently disrupted by threats of wars and bad news of loss of faith, moral decadence, religious crises, crises of family life, and uncertainties of all sorts, that calm and sweet voice of the Lord speaks to us so consolingly in our hearts, “Do not be afraid”. But this voice is not heard by everybody. It is recognized only by those who are aware of God’s presence in and around them—those whose lives reflect this awareness. Dear friends, let us pause a moment and reflect on the level of our awareness of God’s presence in our lives. How does that shape our daily thoughts, words, actions, and inactions? Awareness of God’s presence helps us overcome all fears. Jesus the Lord proved to his disciples that as God he has power over nature. He walked on the sea, healed the sick, raised the dead, and above all, rose from the dead. He is the one who accompanies us on our journey in life and the one who guarantees our safety. Our wealth, human connections, and other material possessions may provide temporary security but only the Lord provides the safety that endures forever. Hence, the need to make him our companion always, a companion whose presence we need to be constantly aware of.

Daily meditation on the word of God and daily prayer and regular reception of the Holy Eucharist are proven and time-tested ways of growing in the awareness of God’s presence as Catholics. That way, fears can be calmed or eliminated, especially the fear of evil and adversity.  Faith is a corresponding consequence of growth in the awareness of God’s presence. This faith is nurtured by paying attention to God’s Word and being less distracted by the urgings of our world which can only get us sinking into the waters of disillusionment and being consumed by our fears. May our fears not consume us, rather may we overcome them by our constant awareness of God’s presence and by the grace of God who saves us.

You scream, I scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM! Please join us for the ice cream social on August 21.

• New families are invited to meet with our school administration and parent ambassadors in our gym at 2:30pm

• All families are invited to see our classrooms and meet our teachers in school from 3:00-3:30pm

• Ice cream is served on the Paulina turf lot 3:30-4:00pm

• Used uniform swap at 3:00-4:00pm

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