The Death of Fear

Do we fear?

Of course we do!

We fear for our families, our nation, our world. We fear we'll spill the morning coffee on our brand-new suit. We fear our supervisor knocking on our door; there's no telling what that wonder of humanity will bring this time! We fear that tractor-trailer on the Interstate that's jackknifing right in front of us.

We fear for what we will lose.

And that fear deprives us of joy. It pillages us of peace. It shatters our confidence in life. It erodes our trust in God--our very Faith.

The good news is that we do not have to fear.

In fact, Our Lord Jesus Christ did not invite us not to fear. He commanded us not to do so.

Our late Pope, John Paul the Great, began his historic Papacy by repeating Christ's command: Be not Afraid! Pope Benedict XVI continues to exhort us with the same message: Be not Afraid.

Christ has never commanded us to do anything in which we're not capable of doing. United with him in Faith, we can stop fearing.

How can we do this?

First of all, let us remember one thing. We are not alone. Our God has not orphaned us. Whatever losses we've experienced in our lives, he remains with us. When we reach out to him in prayer, we'll find him. Even if he seems absense, and our prayers dry in our heart like a Saharah sandstorm, he is there. When we believe with confidence in his continued presence in our lives, we take courage.

For if he stands by our side, what force or circumstance can possible overcome us?

"If God is for us, who can stand against us?" Paul asked.

Indeed!

Christ has won the victory for us. Even our losses can't last forever; our very lives become renewed in his salvific death and ressurection.

Filled with the Holy Spirit and united in communion with him through the Church, we can face those demons that we fear the most. And we can be rid of them!

"Be not Afraid!" Christ commands.

We are liberated by his order! We can walk away from the prison that we built in our hearts to shelter us from our fears. We can live free of the dread that plagues so many of us this side of heaven.

Let us rise and do what our Lord asks. Let us put fear to death and live free in the courage he pours into our hearts. Let us live, free from fear at last!