FEARING NO ONE (Mt 10:26-33):

22 June 2008 (Twelfth Sunday in

Ordinary Time)
jcgosj June 22, 2008

FEARING NO ONE (Mt 10:26-33): 22 June 2008 (Twelfth Sunday in

Ordinary Time)

Todays Readings

The first line our Lord speaks to his disciples struck me: Fear no one.

Sure, I catch myself in mid-thought. Easy for you to say.

Not so easy for the rest of us. We are no strangers to fear. We know what
its like to be scared. Its not a pleasant experienceunless youre one of
those people who get their kick out of screaming their lungs out during
horror and slasher movies.

Since the Lord tells us not to be afraid three times in todays Gospel
reading, I thought Id spend some time asking myself about my greatest
fears. What am I most afraid of anyway? And who am I most afraid of?
Let me come up with my Im Afraid Of list. Its not an easy list to make
because the items can be quite revealing and embarrassing. Here they are
(in no particular order):

1. Im afraid of suffering, in general. Nobody wants to get sick, and

nobody likes pain. I hate to admit it, but the thought of a painful and
enduring illness scares the hell out of me.

2. I guess Im really still afraid of death, especially a violent and painful

death. Sometimes I catch myself wishing for a quick and painless death
more than a Christian death! And whatever else we say we believe about
salvation and eternal life, death still means the end of life as we know it,
and Im afraid of what may or may not come next.

3. Im afraid of losing the people I love. The very idea breaks my heart. I
dread the prospect of it, even if I know that loss is very much part of being
human.

4. Im afraid of what I dont know, of the unfamiliar. Even the most

adventurous and reckless among us still feel some hesitation aboutor
resistance tothings beyond our understanding and especially those
beyond our control.

5. Im afraid of failure, of trying my best and working hard, only to realize

that nothing Ive done really amounts to anything. I worry about waking
up one day finding my life in ruins.

6. Ive always beenand still amafraid of rejection, of feeling unloved, of

ending up friendless, especially those moments when I need friends the
most. Im also afraid of unpopularity, of a ruined reputation, of negative
things that may haunt me for the rest of my life, especially because of how
they can hurt the people who love me and care for me.

7. Im afraid of bad luck, karma, misfortune. Im not supposed to believe

in feng shui and superstitionand in my best moments, I really dont, but
when people whisper in hushed tones convinced that fate will turn against
us if we dont do this or if we do that, I cant help but feel some kind of
fear. I dont agree with them, but a part of me also understands why they
feel the need to consult the so-called experts on almost every single thing
that they do, like the way they marry off their children, the way they build
their houses and arrange their furniture, even the way they bury their dead.

8. Im afraid of people who seem evil and malicious. They have a logic I
dont understandthis desire to hurt others just because! Im not referring
to people who are misled, driven by past hurts to lash back at others.
These people need our compassion and help. No, Im referring to people
who seem to want to hurt people just because! I just dont get thatand Im
afraid of whatever it is that drives them to do the things they do.
9. Finally, Im afraid of God even if I know he loves me. Blame it on
Catholic guilt, but a part of me will always fear going to hell, and the heart
of me is deathly afraid of being separated from Godforever!

Identifying our worst fears can be a valuable exercise because it can tell us
about the things and the people that we value most. Our fears can teach us
about what we hold most dear, the things and people hat we dont want to
lose.

Some say that to be afraid is to betray a lack of faith. If youre scared, that
means you dont believe enough. I dont agree with that. Fear in itself is
neither good nor bad. Its not a sin to be afraid; we are told that even our
Lord, on the eve of his death, was afraid.

Theres really nothing wrong with fear. In fact, fear is necessary for human
survival. We need fear to help us escape some dangers. Fear can be a kind
of deterrent to doing what is wrong, and a kind of incentive to doing what
is right. In other words, our fears can pull us away from danger and push
us to what is right. So when you think about it, our fears can actually be a
very good thing.

What makes fear good or bad is what we do with it. For example, we
cannot help but be afraid when confronted with danger. If our fear drives
us to save ourselvesor as it has happened on many occasions, to save
others as well, then thank God for fear because it is indeed a very good
thing. But if on a similar occasion, our fear paralyzes us and keeps us from
doing what is correct, and we end up hurting ourselves and others, then
fear must be overcome at all costs. We must not be a slave to fear.

This is true even when applied to our daily choices: If our different fears
become an obstacle to doing what is good and what is right, to helping
others, then we must try our best to overcome them. For example, our fear
of failure may paralyze us and keep us from doing our best.

It is also possible that our fear of being rejected may make us pretend to be
somebody were not so we end up being inauthentic in our relationship.
Finally, our fears may also keep us away from Godas in the case of the
sinner whose fear of God makes him feel so unworthy that he decides to
keep his distance and not return to the Lord in the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. Or, a persons fear of bad luck may become a block in her
relationship with Godas in the case of a feng shui believer who gets
carried away and begins to rely more heavily on so-called experts rather
than God.

If this is whats happening to us because of our fears, then we should exert

every effort to free ourselves from them and to end our slavery to fear.

At the end of the day, our fears are an invitation for us to trust the Lord.
Whether we like it or not, some things simply lie beyond our control, and
no amount of worrying will guarantee us protection from the things we fear
most. But today the Lord says, Fear no oneor Fear nothing, for that
matternot because he wants us to pretend that we will never be afraid, but
that he wants us to trust him, livingwith our fears rather than living in fear.

Heres a Quick Question for you: What are some of your worst fears? And
what does your list tell you about yourself and about God? Think about it,
and if you feel up to it, share a thought, a feeling, or a question.

If you wish, you may want to watch Leona Lewiss music video of
Footprints in the Sand. We all know that famous story about the Lord
always walking with us both in good times and bad, but the song provides
us an opportunity to thinkand prayabout it in a different way.
Click here to play the video.

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND

You walked with me

Footprints in the sand
And helped me understand
Where Im going
You walked with me
When I was all alone
With so much I no along the way
Then I heard you say

I promise you
Im always there
When your heart is filled with sorrow and despair
Ill carry you
When you need a friend
Youll find my footprints in the sand

I see my life
Flash across the sky
So many times have I
Been so afraid ooh
And just when I
Have thought Ive lost my way
[ Footprints In The Sand lyrics found on
http://www.completealbumlyrics.com ]
You give me strength to carry on
Thats when I heard you say

I promise you
Im always there
When your heart is filled with sorrow and despair
Ill carry you
When you need a friend
Youll find my footprints in the sand

When Im weary
Well I no youll be there
And I can feel you
When you say

I promise you
Im always there
When your heart is full of sadness and despair
Ill carry you
When you need a friend
Youll find my footprints in the sand

(image: persistentillusion.wordpress.com)