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In the Gospel today Jesus told his Apostles to “Fear no one.” What is fear? The dictionary definition is: “Fear is an unpleasant, powerful emotion triggered by the perception of danger or a threat.” Think for a moment on the question: “What is your greatest fear?”

 

For the Apostles their greatest fear was most likely going forth to preach the Gospel. They knew what happened to Jesus. The same could happen to them. We too may be faced with rejection and ridicule for professing our beliefs. We too, like the Apostles, are challenged by Jesus to boldly live our faith. We are not necessarily being called to a missionary life going from town to town to preach the Gospel, but we are being called to live our faith openly without fear of any repercussions. It is not easy to truly live our Catholic beliefs.

 

This Sunday is Father’s Day. All good fathers, not excluding mothers, are tasked to protect and provide for their family. This may be one of the greatest fears of a father. It is a significant responsibility to live up to. But no matter what our roles in life are, there are fears we face. When we look at our daily lives, what are we most afraid of? We are all afraid of something. It might be the fear of losing our job, the loss of our health, living alone, never having a family of our own, death, the need to rely on others, the loss of our reputation or any one of a thousand things. But what really is fear all about? It is the absence or loss of something you feel is critically important to you. It is ultimately the loss of control over your life, a feeling of being powerless.

 

How do we face these fears of everyday life in relation to living out our faith? How does our life reflect our faith? Can people see we are living the challenges of life based on our faith?  Some say that religion is for the weak, that it is used as a crutch instead of relying on our own strengths and abilities. Understand there is wisdom in acknowledging our limitations as it opens ourselves up to receiving God’s grace. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 it states: ‘but he said to me,  “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.’

 

In order to control some of the uncertainties in life, we may try to address them by relying on experts, people that we feel have the power to help us affect the outcome we desire. For health we may rely on doctors, physical fitness trainers, or dietitians. For retirement planning we may rely on a financial planner. For careers we may rely on learning from professors or mentors on the job. These are good things, but the question lies in, do we see God’s providential hand helping us through our uncertainties? Can others see that we ultimately give the credit to God?

 

The point is that we can not go through life on our own, we are not all powerful or all knowing, no matter how fiercely independent we consider ourselves to be. We need to rely on the knowledge and experience of others to survive. We are meant to live in community. This goes back to that we are all one body in Christ. We are each a part of the whole.

 

We find today that in this time of unprecedented social interaction through social media that we as a society are becoming more isolated. We avoid personal face-to-face contact. We try to protect ourselves by isolating ourselves. If there is no personal contact, there is no physical confrontation or threat. Even with the idea of using doctors or financial planners, or professors, we are moving more and more toward virtual access. We are ultimately avoiding and at the same time feeding our fears through isolation.

 

We are slowly becoming fearful of all people. We are learning to trust no one outside of close family or friends. This is in direct contrast to the scripture readings today. Though it is not suggesting for you to take unreasonable risks.

 

In the Gospel Jesus talks about how sparrows are not viewed as worth much from a worldly perspective but if one falls to the ground, God is very much aware of it. All God’s creations are important to him, so Jesus tells us not to be afraid, fear no one, as we are worth more than many sparrows.

 

In the First Reading it states: “But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.” If we put all our faith in the Lord, there should be nothing to fear. We must stop isolating ourselves, get out into the world, make the personal connections. Is there a risk of people and relationships that may disappoint us. Yes of course, we are imperfect people with free will choice to make good or bad decisions that affect ourselves and others.

 

God sees the injustices of the world. In the Gospel it also states: “Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.” Even if you feel no one other than you and God may see some injustice that happened to you, fear not, as God knows and is with you. You are never alone. Don’t worry about what others think of you in living out your faith. Remember the beatitude in Matthew 5:11: Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me.”

 

Our dispelling of all fear, the true peace that we so desperately want and strive for rests in our complete trust that God has our back. That doesn’t mean everything is going to work out the way we want it to. It means no matter what does happen, the grace of God is with us and will help us through it.

 

In Genesis 3:10 it states: “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid…” We have been talking about putting all our trust in God, but we have not discussed if we are also afraid of God? Do we have a hard time turning to God because we are fearful of his judgment of us? Do we feel that when we turn to Him that He is just not listening?

 

It is such a shame that so many of us are controlled by fear and most unfortunately the fear of God. To be afraid of the one we should truly trust beyond any doubt under any circumstance, is the only thing we should truly be afraid of. We should be afraid of falling into the trap of not trusting in God’s unfailing love for us, no matter what we have done or face in life, no matter what the outcome. We may not like some of the answers to our prayers, but we must trust in His love for us. In Isaiah 41:10 it states: “Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” God’s grace abounds.

 

When we come to completely trust in Him we can then let go of all our fears. That is when we become truly free and at peace. Put everything into the hands of God. Let Him direct your life. Live according to God’s will for you and no longer let fear take hold of your life. Let others experience your faith in God so that they too may come to believe and put all their trust in the Lord. Fear no one, and be God’s instrument of peace.