Scripture for
meditation: Joshua 24:14
“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve him completely
and sincerely.”
Christ
tells us: Matthew 10:26, 28
Therefore do not be afraid of them.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be
known. And do not be
afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid
of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
Pope Benedict XVII tells us: … we
find two invitations from Jesus: on the one hand to "have no fear" of
human beings, and on the other, to "fear" God (cf. Mt 10: 26, 28). We
are thus encouraged to reflect on the difference that exists between human
fears and the fear of God. Fear is a natural dimension of life. In childhood we
experience forms of fear that subsequently are revealed to be imaginary and
disappear; other fears emerge later which are indeed founded in reality: these
must be faced and overcome with human determination and trust in God. However,
especially today, there is a deeper form of fear of an existential type and
which sometimes borders on anguish: it is born from a sense of emptiness,
linked to a certain culture permeated with widespread theoretical and practical
nihilism. In the face of the broad and
diversified panorama of human fears, the Word of God is clear: those who
"fear" God "are not afraid". Fear of God, which the
Scriptures define as "the beginning of knowledge" coincides with
faith in him, with sacred respect for his authority over life and the world. To
be without "fear of God" is equivalent to putting ourselves in his
place, to feeling we ourselves are lords of good and evil, of life and death.
Instead, those who fear God feel within them the safety that an infant in his
mother's arms feels (cf. Ps 130: 2). Those who fear God are tranquil even in
the midst of storms for, as Jesus revealed to us, God is a Father full of mercy
and goodness. Those who love him are not afraid: "There is no fear in
love", the Apostle John wrote, "but perfect love casts out fear. For
fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love"
(1 Jn 4: 18). Believers, therefore, are not afraid of anything because they
know they are in the hands of God, they know that it is not evil and the
irrational which have the last word, but rather that the one Lord of the world
and of love is Christ, the Word of God Incarnate, who loved us to the point of
sacrificing himself for us, dying on the Cross for our salvation. The more we
grow in this intimacy with God, imbued with love, the more easily we overcome
any form of fear. In the passage of today's Gospel, Jesus repeats several times
the exhortation to have no fear. Jesus reassures us, as he reassured the
Apostles and as he did St. Paul by appearing to him one night in a vision at a
particularly difficult moment in his preaching: "Do not be afraid",
he said, "for I am with you" (Acts 18: 9). (Angelus Address, St Peter's Square, Sunday, 22 June 2008)
Prayer: Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I
fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?
My thoughts: As
I recently learned in my parish Bible study class, fear of the Lord means
reverence for the Lord, respect for His power and authority. Pope Benedict XVI
tells us that having fear of the Lord is the opposite of being afraid of Him.
Only those people who believe that they are their own gods have anything to
fear. We, on the other hand, can rest secure in God’s arms, knowing that
“Perfect Love casts out fear.” How beautiful is that!!
Our prayer to God:
Let’s let God speak to us in this beautiful song: Click on "Listen on You Tube"
I will come to you in the silence
I will lift you from all your fear You will hear My voice I claim you as My choice Be still, and know I am near I am hope for all who are hopeless I am eyes for all who long to see In the shadows of the night, I will be your light Come and rest in Me Chorus: Do not be afraid, I am with you I have called you each by name Come and follow Me I will bring you home I love you and you are mine I am strength for all the despairing Healing for the ones who dwell in shame All the blind will see, the lame will all run free And all will know My name Chorus: Do not be afraid, I am with you I have called you each by name Come and follow Me I will bring you home I love you and you are mine I am the Word that leads all to freedom I am the peace the world cannot give I will call your name, embracing all your pain Stand up, now, walk, and live Chorus: Do not be afraid, I am with you I have called you each by name Come and follow Me I will bring you home I love you and you are mine |
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