13th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle
B
St. Francis De Sales Parish
July 1, 2012
“Fear Is Useless; What Is
Needed Is Trust”
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P.
Amato
Fear of the Dark
I have a confession to make. When I was
a small child I had a terrible fear in going to bed at night that there was
someone hiding in my bedroom.
I actually used to have to open and
close every draw of my bureau and dresser, check out the closet, and look under
the bed before I could go to sleep.
I remember how I believed that I couldn’t
share my fear with anyone, not even my parents.
One day my mother came in on me during
my regular nightly routine (demonstrate
opening and closing drawers) and I had to fess up.
She suggested I close the drawers and
hop into bed, so we could have a little chat. I remember it so well. She told
me that to be afraid was normal and that most kids my age were afraid of the
dark.
She assured me that she was always there
in the house with me and that she’d never let anyone into the house at night
without my knowing it. I should just trust her to keep me safe.
She then left the room and came back
with two items: a little nightlight that she plugged in near my dresser and
second, on top of the dresser, she put a picture of her and my father, just in
case I woke up and was wondering if anyone else might be hiding in the room.
Her word and her picture to remind me
made my darkened bedroom a safe place from that day on. What I learned that day
is that fear is irrational and that to overcome it requires assurance and
refocusing.
The
House of Fear
In today’s gospel a synagogue official
named Jairus asks Jesus to come and heal his daughter.
Some other people from the synagogue
then report that the little girl has already died, but Jesus completely disregards
the report and says to the official: “Fear
is useless. What is needed is trust.”
That’s an important statement: “Fear is useless. What is needed is trust.”
We
all live with fears: the fear of being rejected by our peers; the fear of
aging, of being alone, of not having enough money; the fear of terrorism, rising
oil prices, flooding, or a Flu pandemic.
Today’s
gospel can help us deal more effectively with whatever fear we can name for
ourselves right now.
It has been said that fear has penetrated
our inner selves so deeply that it can affect us profoundly. It can make us upset, anxious, edgy,
depressed.
Fear can paralyze us. It can keep us from using our talents or
expressing our thoughts. It can even
keep us from living according to what we believe is right and wrong.
Moving to the House of Trust
“Fear is useless,” as Jesus says, because it
keeps us worrying about something that may not happen – like the stranger in my
dresser doors, my closet, or under the bed, or if it does happen – such as a
report from my doctor saying I have a serious malady – fear doesn’t help me
prepare for that malady in a constructive way.
That’s
why fear is “useless.”
We
must move – psychologically and spiritually – from living in a “house of fear”
to living in a “house of trust.” Remember, that to the statement “Fear is useless” Jesus quickly adds, “what is needed is trust.”
Back
to my story: it was the (1) Relationship
to my mother, (2) My trust in
her words, (3) My visually seeing her
photo that all worked together to put me in a different place, in a different
house, if you will.
So
I would suggest that in Jesus’ words we have a concrete way to deal with all
our fears.
The
concrete way is summed up in three words: relationship,
trust, and seeing.
Relationship with Christ: What is the
quality of my relationship with Jesus? Am I linked to him in prayer? Do I pray
in good times and in bad? In secure times as well as in times of fear?
Trust in his words: Do I read
scripture regularly? Do I listen to the reading of God’s word at Sunday Mass
with attentiveness, knowing there is a message there for me? Do I believe that
Jesus offers healing to me, as he does to those he encounters in the Gospel?
Seeing him: Do I allow myself to be
part of a worshipping community? Am I vested in the life of my parish? Do I do
my part in visually seeing myself as a part of the Body of Christ? Do I
cultivate friendships with others who believe in Jesus?
A Two-Fold
Action
The
good news to us today is an insight and an assurance from Jesus himself about
all the fears we face.
We
will take him at his word, (1) Knowing fear is “useless” and (2) Trusting God
with my life and yes, and eventually my death.
No comments:
Post a Comment