Fear, the enemy of Faith

I found a few notes from Father Richard Rohr in which he talks about fear as the enemy of faith. Not doubt. He says we could feed all the starving people in this world if we were not so afraid that we spend a fortune on arms and on war. It is something to think about, isn’t it? So much of what humans do all over the world is controlled by fears, petty and large. And yet we hear Jesus saying ‘Do not be afraid.” And the foundation of the call to be truly human is there in the first beatitude. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. And yet the economic life of our country is run by people who want to get very rich. Why? Because they are afraid. Even that petty fear that if they are not rich they will be unimportant. Yet God looks upon every single human with Love. Yes, Jesus wept over Jerusalem because like everywhere on earth people were doing unloving things. But nothing prevents our God of love from loving each and every human on earth. Wasn’t it love that causes Jesus to weep then?

It is well to ponder that first beatitude which is the foundation for the other 7 beatitudes. The poor in spirit. One way to this is going to the Holy place within ourselves where God dwells. When we meditate, we open our hearts and our minds to the Light of Christ. We let Light shine within. We do not need to tell God what we need, we just come before God and pray in great simplicity.

When we do this dally, little by little it becomes easier also to maintain a walking prayer so that prayer undergirds all that we do each day. And fear drops away little by little. Of course, we may experience fears but we can get so we recognize them as such and name them and this is a big step toward losing fear. A fear can be as simple as my fear of falling which hs come upon me in my 80’s. Because I have fallen. So I take a practical step. I carry a cane. Or I take someone’s hand. There are practical steps to take. (When my brothers and cousins were jumping from a hill onto a new flat garage roof. My younger brother Joe and I were afraid and did not jump. My even younger cousin Roger jumped and broke both arms)

So we know that when Jesus says Do not be afraid, He is not asking us to do foolish things. Just asking us to rely on God in great faith. And that faith grows when we persist in daily prayer. Pondering Scripture, Christian Meditation, the walking prayer. Giving our attention to the depth of Sunday Liturgy.

When we meditate, we offer ourselves utterly and joyfully to the Love which God has for us. Infinite love indeed. Let fear go. Walk in faith. Let us meditate twice daily for 20 minutes.