In this weekend’s Gospel Jesus warns us against fear and tells us to fear no one. Fear, and in particular “fear of the other” has been the cause of the destruction of entire peoples and cultures, the cause of one war after another, and still we have not learned just how disastrous for humanity fearmongering and the hatred of those who are different can be to our world.
Poets, philosophers, and mystics alike all have warned that fear ultimately leads to the deadening of the soul and disconnection from the human family. Several years ago, Pope Francis warned that wherever there is fear, there will always be someone who will manipulate it to their own good. "Because fear, besides being good business for merchants of weapons and death, weakens and destabilizes us, destroying our psychological and spiritual defenses, anesthetizing us to the suffering of others and, in the end, making us cruel." The completely unnecessary and illegal war with Iran is a perfect example.
We find ourselves in the midst of a fear-ridden country and world with some people shouting of a growing calamity because of the calls for racial justice and equality, because of increased immigration, and other societal changes that are happening with our changing demographics. And yet, Jesus who found himself in a not too dissimilar geopolitical situation (think the Roman occupation of his native country) called his followers not to fear but to have faith…not to give into fear!
We too are called to not allow ourselves to be ruled by fear and allow it to turn us into cruel people who think of ourselves first and only, and leave the less fortunate to fend for themselves and to exclude them from our democratic debate, and to seek to exclude them from our communities, our schools, our churches and our public spaces. Pope Francis taught that mercy is the “best antidote” to fear! And in the same speech, he called for us to partner that mercy with courage.
We need courage to do the right thing in the face of fear which causes communities to want to build walls to keep people out, instead of bridges which invite people to build community. And it is fear that makes people choose open conflict rather than to embrace and welcome the stranger as Jesus has commanded us to do.
In a very real way we are called to “walk towards our fears” and not run from them. Walking towards our fears takes courage, but we must not forget that we do not walk that journey alone, we walk with Christ!
Our discipleship calls us to be courageous in these difficult and divisive times, and as Pope Francis told us, we are to “be a sign of mercy”, living signs of mercy to others, and Pope Leo has followed that up, calling us to be signs of hope! So let us be living signs of mercy and of hope to all those who are targeted or mistreated or threatened because of the color of their skin, their ethnicity, their gender or because of where they were born or who they love, or what their social status is or what their nationality. These realities cause fear in some people who are unable and unwilling to accept people who do not look like them, people who are “other than themselves.” They cannot accept that each and every human being is made in the image and likeness of God and is deeply and passionately loved by God just as they are!
And as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to stand up in opposition against those persons and movements that espouse social, political or religious ideologies and principles that deny or demean the God given human dignity of every woman, man and child on this planet.
Not until we have done this will we have truly lived the great commandment of Jesus: to love our neighbor as ourselves. We must ask ourselves, what personal biases am I being called to walk towards or to sit with and name? Let me pray to draw courage in facing my own biases with the Holy Spirit guiding me.
May each one of us be a sign of mercy and a sign of hope to those who are suffering, are discriminated against, are marginalized in any way, or ignored, or unloved.
May your lives be filled abundantly with the endless mercy and hope of God. Amen.
Blessings,
Fr Tim
Poets, philosophers, and mystics alike all have warned that fear ultimately leads to the deadening of the soul and disconnection from the human family. Several years ago, Pope Francis warned that wherever there is fear, there will always be someone who will manipulate it to their own good. "Because fear, besides being good business for merchants of weapons and death, weakens and destabilizes us, destroying our psychological and spiritual defenses, anesthetizing us to the suffering of others and, in the end, making us cruel." The completely unnecessary and illegal war with Iran is a perfect example.
We find ourselves in the midst of a fear-ridden country and world with some people shouting of a growing calamity because of the calls for racial justice and equality, because of increased immigration, and other societal changes that are happening with our changing demographics. And yet, Jesus who found himself in a not too dissimilar geopolitical situation (think the Roman occupation of his native country) called his followers not to fear but to have faith…not to give into fear!
We too are called to not allow ourselves to be ruled by fear and allow it to turn us into cruel people who think of ourselves first and only, and leave the less fortunate to fend for themselves and to exclude them from our democratic debate, and to seek to exclude them from our communities, our schools, our churches and our public spaces. Pope Francis taught that mercy is the “best antidote” to fear! And in the same speech, he called for us to partner that mercy with courage.
We need courage to do the right thing in the face of fear which causes communities to want to build walls to keep people out, instead of bridges which invite people to build community. And it is fear that makes people choose open conflict rather than to embrace and welcome the stranger as Jesus has commanded us to do.
In a very real way we are called to “walk towards our fears” and not run from them. Walking towards our fears takes courage, but we must not forget that we do not walk that journey alone, we walk with Christ!
Our discipleship calls us to be courageous in these difficult and divisive times, and as Pope Francis told us, we are to “be a sign of mercy”, living signs of mercy to others, and Pope Leo has followed that up, calling us to be signs of hope! So let us be living signs of mercy and of hope to all those who are targeted or mistreated or threatened because of the color of their skin, their ethnicity, their gender or because of where they were born or who they love, or what their social status is or what their nationality. These realities cause fear in some people who are unable and unwilling to accept people who do not look like them, people who are “other than themselves.” They cannot accept that each and every human being is made in the image and likeness of God and is deeply and passionately loved by God just as they are!
And as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to stand up in opposition against those persons and movements that espouse social, political or religious ideologies and principles that deny or demean the God given human dignity of every woman, man and child on this planet.
Not until we have done this will we have truly lived the great commandment of Jesus: to love our neighbor as ourselves. We must ask ourselves, what personal biases am I being called to walk towards or to sit with and name? Let me pray to draw courage in facing my own biases with the Holy Spirit guiding me.
May each one of us be a sign of mercy and a sign of hope to those who are suffering, are discriminated against, are marginalized in any way, or ignored, or unloved.
May your lives be filled abundantly with the endless mercy and hope of God. Amen.
Blessings,
Fr Tim
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