Wednesday after Epiphany
By
“God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us…There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.” (1 John 4:16-18)
After the disciples saw Christ walking on the sea and they mistook him for a ghost, he told them, “‘Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!’ He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were completely astounded. They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.” (Mark 6:50-52)
Piety
Lord, calm our fears. Stay with us always, and teach us the ways that the power your love can work in our lives.
Study
“What are you so afraid of?” the priest asked me.
“Everything,” I said without thinking. It felt so good to finally say it out loud.
There’s much for each and every one of us to fear if we let ourselves. Are we good friends, good spouses, good sisters or brothers, good employees, good servants to Christ? Like the disciples, we harden our hearts against the possibility of miracles such as God’s love for us.
The fears we face are beautifully defined at Good News Ministries of
· Fear of God, which means we are in AWE of Him because we realize that He is perfectly loving, totally good, and without Him we are neither loving nor good.
· Natural Fear, which is the common sense warning that helps us survive: “Don't put your hand on that hot stove or it will burn!”
· Evil Fear, which blows common sense out of proportion, and which has nothing to do with God: “Don't get within 10 feet of that hot stove or you will burn!” Evil fear harms both our relationship with God and our enjoyment of this world.
Modica goes on to offer a seven-step process for overcoming fear and entering into the fullness of God’s love:
1. Look at the fear
2. Identify the lie it is telling you
3. Tell yourself what the truth is
4. Figure out WHY it is true
5. Choose to believe the truth
6. Ask the Holy Spirit, who is Truth itself, to empower you to believe the truth
7. Act on the truth
(Thanks to Good News Ministries for providing permission to use the above, copyright 1998 by Terry A. Modica.)
For some of us, believing that we are loved by God at times can be more difficult than believing in the Resurrection, the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, and other tenets of our faith. It’s taken me a while to get there, but using Modica’s seven-step process has helped me discern the difference between fear, awe, and self-loathing. God doesn’t want us to fear or hate; he wants us to love, unconditionally.
What would I say today if someone asked what I’m so afraid of?
“Not much.”
Action
What are you so afraid of? Follow Terry Modica’s seven-step model to identify your biggest fear today—and to let it go.
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