By Vimal Kumar A csc –
Readings: Jer 20: 10-13; Rom 5: 12-15; Mt 10: 26-33
‘Fear not’ is a catchy word for today’s reflection. Fear itself is an innate and powerful part of us. The impact of fear in our life is based on the type of fear that we face, viz, fear of authority, fear of chronic diseases, fear of failures, etc.
Through the Gospel Jesus reassures us ‘fear not and have courage to face all the trials and difficulties that come on your way.’ We become stronger when we have courage and acceptance to face those fears. The problem is that we allow fear to work overtime within us. It is common tendency when we live in this spell of fear to immediately develop strategies to protect ourselves.
Currently, the outbreak of COVID-19 has caused a lot of anxiety and worry for everyone. Fear and anxiety about a disease overwhelms and cause strong emotions in all of us. We follow the strategies to keep ourselves safe by self-isolation, social distancing and testing. Yet fear overwhelms everyone’s heart. Keeping Jesus’ assurance in our hearts let us try to make sense of the situation we are in; we have an opportunity to make sense of ourselves and respond to it positively.
Only by developing a sense of trust and courage we can overcome this fear. Not only is our individual safety important but also of those who are part of us in this world. We also see the struggles and pain of the poor and immigrant workers who are worst affected in these lockdowns. Without fear, let us preach the Gospel to our brothers and sisters who are in need of our help through our kind actions. It may be monetary help or volunteering oneself to provide the amenities for them. Let us trust in God and live our lives with complete freedom.