“What really hurts is not so much suffering as the fear of suffering. If welcomed trustingly and peacefully, suffering makes us grow. It matures and trains us, purifies us, teaches us to love unselfishly, makes us poor in heart, humble, gentle, and compassionate toward our neighbor. Fear of suffering, on the other hand, hardens us in self-protective, defensive attitudes, and often leads us to make irrational choices with disastrous consequences.”— Fr. Jacques Philippe, p. 47
Someone once told me he had taken up skydiving because he had no reason for not doing it except that he was afraid, and he did not want to start not doing things simply because he was afraid. How much good is left undone and how many dreams and hopes are shattered for lack of courage? Fear can steal into our lives so subtly that we might not even recognize it at first. We may think it prudence at first, or good sense. But ultimately it shows its ugly head for what it is, a killer and a paralyzer of action and of the fulfillment that comes from doing.
“Fear leads us to look at the difficulties, the awful problems and not to look at the Lord… How often we remain fixated on problems rather than going to the Lord and casting our concerns into him! How often we leave the Lord in a corner, at the bottom of the boat of life, to wake him only in a moment of need! Today, let us ask for the grace of a faith that never tires of seeking the Lord, of knocking at the door of his Heart. May the Virgin Mary, who in her life never stopped trusting in God, reawaken in us the basic need of entrusting ourselves to him each day.” Pope Francis
I have been meditating on the Gospel of the Good Shepherd. Where in the Gospel do we first hear about the Good Shepherd? You’ll find it in Genesis when God went looking for Adam and Eve. They had sinned and were trying to hide, but God looked for them to bring them back. Why did they run from God? They were “necked.” That’s naked for all you Yankees. They hid because they had sinned. They ran away from God, but God went after them. God goes after sinners, because He does not want us to succumb to the evil one. Adam and Eve were afraid, because sin causes fear. They were afraid of the One who loves us. Sin makes us stay away from the One who has the power to heal sin. “We’re going to be punished!” But, this is a great act of love as we see on the Crucifix. He asks us to partake of His love by receiving and asking for His forgiveness. If we run from God after we have sinned, it is an offense against God.
I have heard this statement from a number of priests and others: “I have to forgive myself.” Excuse me..WHAT?? That’s a sin right there. The sin wasn’t against you. You egotistical jerk! The sin was against God and no one else. That statement is blasphemous. It’s pop psychology, and it’s blasphemous. It’s your own fertilizer excuse…you know the word. It’s a fertilizer excuse justifying the act. “I have to forgive myself.” You cannot bring healing to yourself. That would require penance and divine forgiveness. Only God can absolve sin, and only God can heal it. Sin in this world is made manifest by fear. What do people do when they are afraid? They try to hide. They lay down conditions for coming back. “I’m not coming back to the Church until priests can get married.” Do you ask any of the professionals in your life if they are married? “I’m not coming back until Mass is in English, until Confession is face-to-face, or until people can marry whoever or whatever they want.” Really?
Sin causes fear and anger which distorts reality. So, people try to deny that they did anything wrong. “I didn’t do anything!” “It wasn’t that bad.” “You cops are all crooked.” “You priests are all perverts.” They try to deny what they’ve done by lashing out. When a dog is afraid, it may snarl at you. People try to deny their sin and will do anything but say “I’ve done wrong, and I’m sorry.” That fear changes your perspective and it changes your attitude.
I was driving up to the VA hospital the other day, and I always try to find the State Troopers and the Sheriff’s deputies. It keeps you aware, and it’s kind of fun to see where they might be hiding. I appreciate the art form. But, I can always tell where they are just by watching people in front of me slam on their brakes. Why are you afraid? Just do the speed limit. Come on! But, they are afraid. What are they afraid of? They are only afraid if they’ve done something wrong. But, God’s love casts out all fear…not self-love… but God’s love.
God is love itself. We see His love when we look at the Crucifix. We see that love portrayed at every altar, at every confession, at every hospital visit by a priest, at every marriage ceremony, and at every baptism and confirmation. This is God’s great love manifested. I’ll give you some homework for tonight. Read the poem, “Hound of Heaven” by Francis Thompson. Francis was a drug addict and alcoholic. He had fear, and he kept running and running afraid a great beast was going to kill him. Finally, he ran out of energy and said, “Fine, kill me. I don’t care anymore.” When he stopped, he saw that the beast was actually a puppy that wanted to kiss him. The last part of the poem is: “Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee, Save Me, save only Me?”
God is the Good Shepherd. But, we have to be willing to be led. Remember what the first sin was? It wasn’t by Adam and Eve, but by Lucifer who would not serve. It’s the same thing when we want to be led by God. We have to say, “I will serve.” “I will follow.” It is sinful to say, “I will not serve.” “I will not listen to you.” “I know what’s best.” We are all sinners, that’s why we are all here. He is the Good Shepherd and brings us home if we want to be led.
How will you apply this message to your life? Are you running from God? Are you fearful and angry? Stop running and let God lead you.
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes. From a cell phone, click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories” (located at the end of page). There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. —Psalm 23:4
When I help young people prepare to profess their faith, I try to instill in them the importance of learning Scripture. For example, we have them memorize Psalm 23 because we want it stored deep in their souls for times of trouble.
Everyone will eventually experience a dark valley in which they will especially sense the need for Jesus, the good shepherd. This psalm speaks of the shepherd who leads us to comfortable places, refreshes our souls, and lavishes us with love and blessings. And when we face times of suffering caused by disappointments or devastating blows, our protector comes to help and comfort us.
Our friend Sid had a massive heart attack recently after running with his granddaughter. A security guard revived his dormant heart with CPR. For weeks, Sid was in an induced coma on the brink of death, but by the grace of God and two heart surgeries, he recovered. Sid’s testimony is that reciting Psalm 23 in the midst of pain and sleeplessness brought healing to his soul.
When we enter the darkest valleys amid serious illness, stress, loss, worry, and other struggles, we can find much comfort in the prayer of Psalm 23. We have the blessed assurance that God is with us and cares for us. We have no need to fear.
Lord, you know how fear can grip us when we face the shadows and dark valleys of life. Assure us of your presence that leads us and protects us when we can’t see an escape route. Amen.
“We need to overcome the fear of joy; we need to think of the many times that we are not joyful because we are afraid. In my homeland there is a saying that goes like this: when someone gets burned by boiling milk, he cries when he sees the cow. The disciples, who were burned by the drama of the cross, said: no, let’s stop here! He is in heaven, that’s excellent, he is risen, but may he not come back again because we can’t handle it!” —Pope Francis
On the surface, we might be tempted to scoff at the pope’s claim that we’re afraid of joy. But how often have we become so used to crisis and dread in our lives that we can’t relax and enjoy a moment of peace, a time of no stress? How often do we manufacture a crisis just because we know how to solve a problem or fix something that’s broken? Easter joy takes some getting used to. We love the rigors and the austerities of Lent. We’re not as familiar or comfortable with the joy of Easter. One reason for this is that the kind of joy Jesus brings comes from living fully in the present. We are so much better at looking back to past pain or dreading the uncertainty of the future. Living in the present, the eternal now, requires both gratitude and grace.
The temptation of the devil is fear. Pontius Pilate was afraid. Really? A Roman governor with a Roman army that had no objections to killing people? That was their job. There were no cameras, no Miranda rights, and no defense attorneys. He could have swept everything up, and nobody would have said anything, anytime. He was afraid, although he didn’t realize why he was afraid. He asked our Lord, “What is truth?” while he was looking at truth in the face. The truth is a person – not an “it” but a “Who.” Remember Philosophy 101: there is only one truth – not your truth – but THE truth. Pilate said, “Ecce homo” – “Behold the man.” In contrast, what did John the Baptist say when he saw Christ? “Ecce Agnus Dei” – “Behold the lamb of God.” John was not afraid.
During His Passion, our Lord was scourged and was in absolute agony. The Romans were very good at their job. They had done this for centuries and knew how to prolong suffering. So, no one can hear, no one can look at the crucifix, and no one can read accounts about the Passion and still say, “My sin doesn’t affect anyone. It only hurts me. It’s a personal sin.” In one sense yes, but in another sense no. “It’s just a small sin. It’s just a white sin kinda like a white lie.” I studied theology, and I actually have the degree. The paperwork is somewhere. When you look at the crucifix, you see the effects of sin. But, you also see how much Christ loves us. This is the face of love. He suffered all of this just for you. Not “you” in the general sense, but “you” in the particular sense. “I suffered this just for you; that’s how much I love you. My act of love is always before the Father for you.” This act of love never ends. This act of love is perfect, but can be even more perfect if we respond to it. Follow Him and one day you will enjoy happiness in Heaven.
“Fear of the Lord does not mean to be afraid of God. St. John tells us that where there is love, there is no fear. Rather, fear of the Lord is to stand in awe and wonder before the greatness of the Lord. It is to recognize that God is the creator and we are the creatures. Fear of the Lord should lead us to praise and worship.”— Rev. Jude Winkler, OFM, p.95
