Do Not Be Afraid
February 5, 2013
Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr
By Beth DeCristofaro
Brothers and sisters: Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud
of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and
persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed
on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2)
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith
has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”
... Jesus (later) said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just
have faith.” (Mark 5:34)
Piety
O Holy
God, grant that I may be inspired by the cloud of witnesses that have given
their lives to you. Let me live in and
witness through my faith in You. Give me
the daily bread I need to know you, to love you and to honor you more each day.
Study
These weeks leading up to Lent have given us
many stories of a very busy Jesus revealing the Word and just how much God
loves humankind. He teaches, heals,
feeds, frees people from a variety of burdens whether they are possessed by
demons, or overzealousness in upholding the Law. In today’s Gospel Jesus restores life to a
child and then requests that she be given something to eat. The miraculous meets the every day. “Give us this day our daily bread”.
In today’s Washington Post[i]
there is a video of the Pakistani teenager Malala who was gunned down in an
attempted murder because she spoke for the right of girls to be educated. Malala says in the video that her survival is
due to the prayers of men, women and children around the world. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said to the
official whose daughter had died, “Just have faith.” This young lady stands amidst the faith of
many, a global, living, cloud of witnesses to the power of God’s love, mercy
and justice.
Action
We are, indeed, surrounded by the presence of
God with every step, every breath, every word, closer to us than air. How do we honor God’s presence each day? Look back on a moment of adversity or danger
in your life. Where was God in that
moment? How have you come to know God
better since that moment?
No comments:
Post a Comment