Daily Reflection:
Sunday, June 21, 2020
My Dear Friends,
Here is my homily for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time…
--Fr. Mike
Who or what are you afraid of? What is it that makes you catch your breath and causes your heart to pound in your chest?
Is it the fear of flying and crashing?
Is it the fear of public speaking and the possibility of embarrassing ourselves before others?
Some fear heights…others shudder at storms…
Some fear the insecurity of losing a job…
Some are fearful of snakes, rats, spiders, or roaches…
Some of us fear growing old, sickness, and the eventual death that will come to all of us…
Some fear asking for forgiveness…some are fearful of giving forgiveness…
Some fear being vulnerable, of loving another person, and sharing the intimate details of one’s life with another person…
Some fear speaking out in public about their faith and their belief in the Gospel…some fear speaking up and out about Jesus…
Some fear the stranger…some fear getting to know new people…choosing to stay in their comfort zones even though others may be suffering…
In these days, of our twin pandemics, many people fear the coronavirus, and many people fear hearing the term and dealing with the term racism…
In the Gospel today, Jesus says: “Fear nothing…fear no one!”
My immediate reaction to Jesus is: “Easy for you to say!”
But when you think about it, it wasn’t easy for Him as well.
He was fully human so he experienced many kinds of fears as well, but he had great faith and trust in his Father…
This faith and trust allowed Him to make the “leap of faith” and to face the fears head on, even though it led to the cross and to crucifixion. He was willing to speak up even though it cost him his life.
Some fears are minor with little consequence…some fears are major and, if not faced, have serious consequences.
For example, I have a fear of alligators, and I respond to that fear by making a decision not to visit or live in Florida…
I know that is not a very rational decision but it works….but if I have all my family living in Florida, and I choose never to see them because of alligators, I have a problem!
I am choosing my fear over my family…in this situation, would Jesus not say, “Is your family not more important to you? They should be…let me help you face your fear so that you can be in relationship with your family…”
Oftentimes, the way in which people deal with fear is by denial, pretending the fear and the situation that causes the fear simply does not exist.
In these days of the twin pandemic, COVID-19 and systemic racism, we see denial and acting out in that denial.
As we begin to open the American Economy again, many are acting out as if the virus is beat, that it has been conquered, and people are going on with life as usual, as before.
This is denial of the fear…this denial of the fear will have grave consequences…instead we must face the fear and surrender to it…we must seek out and follow scientific expertise as to the best way to once again move into society but with caution…masks, spatial distancing, and using common sense for the sake of the common good.
Jesus says: “Fear nothing…fear no one!” We do not fear the virus, we surrender to it, and we do so by following scientific advice, by using common sense working for the common good, realizing that it will take time, by being patient, by being cooperative, by supporting and helping one another as we move through these difficult days together and united.
The terms “racism” and “systemic racism” are such painful words that pierce the heart and soul of humanity and of each one of us individually.
We fear those words. I know that I do…We all want to run away from those words…But in these days, is there not cause enough to look and surrender to those words and be willing to have conversation about those words with family and friends?
We hear the words of Jesus: “Fear nothing…fear no one!”
In the spirit of the Gospel, we surrender to our present reality, not deny it…not run away from it…
With the support of Jesus, we look at our lives, at our institutions, and our society as a whole, and ask ourselves what is good and needs to be embraced, what is in need of repair and needs to be fixed, and what is broken and needs to be replaced?
As we move through these days, let us trust in the words of Jesus in today’s Gospel: “Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted; so do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows!”
“DO NOT BE AFRAID!” “DO NOT BE AFRAID!” “DO NOT BE AFRAID”
