BRIDGEPORT—”In yesterday’s Gospel, the Lord directed his disciples three times to cast out fear from their lives. He told them that they had nothing to fear in this life, except the evil one who could threaten their spiritual lives.
I find this command not always easy to follow. Fears often creep into my heart and perhaps into yours as well. They are fears that threaten to paralyze our ability to respond as the Lord desires. There are personal fears (health fears that come with growing older, fears regarding a variety of issues that exist in my larger family and among my friends), fears that can arise from ministry (fear of failing in our efforts to bring greater renewal to the Church or evangelizing young adults, etc.) and the fears that we may all share as the world grows more divided and unpredictable. Individually, such fears can be managed on a daily basis. When taken together, they can have a chilling effect on our ability to move forward in faith.
What can we do when we face such fears? The Lord reminds us that the great antidote to fear is love. We become fearful in life when we fail to remember the profound love that God has for you and me. We forget that God’s love is greater than our love for ourselves and He never allows anything to happen to us that is not for our eternal good—even when we can’t understand how such events can considered “good”. When we are fearful, we must take a few moments to remember God’s love for us. Over time, our fears will lose their power for we will recognize that God is in charge and all will be OK in the end.
I invite you to place your fears at the foot of Christ’s cross. It is the place where God’s love is perfectly manifest and where fear will find its defeat.”
(The above reflection was taken from Bishop Caggiano’s Facebook page: Bishop Frank J. Caggiano. You can also follow him on Twitter @BishopCaggiano, and on Instagram: bishopfrankcaggiano)
