How lucky are we to have the word of the Lord proclaimed to us? In the word of the Lord, we learn of God's unconditional and unchanging love for us, which propels us to love of self. We learn that we can always turn to Him no matter what state we find ourselves in. We learn how to interact with those around us;
we love, forgive, accept, and embrace them as they are; we learn to be like Christ. The word of the Lord is a treasure for us, especially in our uncertain times.
I would like us to reflect on fear. Fear can sometimes be an obstacle to our spiritual life. Jeremiah is told to 'have no fear' when he is sent. (Jeremiah 1:8) Mary, when the angel Gabriel visits her at the
Annunciation, is told not to fear. (Luke 1: 30) Joseph, when the angel of the Lord comes to him, is told not to be afraid. (Matthew 1:20) I think fear is a big deal. All three of these people mentioned are told not to fear before something big happens to their lives, before a mission. It is normal to be afraid at first, but we are encouraged today to place aside our fears and put our trust in the Lord's promises that remain forever so that we can show up for the mission the Lord is sending us
on.
Fear keeps Herod from rejoicing in the newborn Saviour; he instead wants to kill the newborn by ordering the killing of boys two years old and under (Matthew 2: 16).
The disciples do not recognise Jesus walking on the sea because they are afraid; fear keeps Peter from walking on water; he takes his eyes off Jesus and
focuses much on himself and his limited abilities (Matthew 14: 22 – 33). Finally, Peter refused to admit that he was a follower of Christ when Jesus was arrested and questioned because he was afraid he would also be arrested (Matthew 26: 69 – 74). These are a few examples of people in scripture that doubted, for a moment, the word of the Lord.
I invite you to
spend some time today reflecting on how fear is putting doubts into your life and challenging you to follow the Lord and allow yourself to be sent by Him.
Ask the Lord for the grace to remain courageous in those moments in your life where you have forgotten the Lord's words, "do not be afraid".
