A remedy for every ill
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus many times utters the words, “Do not be afraid.” He says it as he walks on the water toward his terrified disciples who are trying to row themselves out of difficulties on the Sea of Galilee. He says it to the synagogue official before he raises his deceased daughter to life. He says it to a shamefaced Peter, who falls on his knees after the miraculous catch of fish. These are the words we long to hear right now in our world when we look around and see civil unrest and hear of wars and rumors of wars, of rising suicide rates, and the general sense of moral malaise that hangs over western society.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus many times utters the words, “Do not be afraid.” He says it as he walks on the water toward his terrified disciples who are trying to row themselves out of difficulties on the Sea of Galilee. He says it to the synagogue official before he raises his deceased daughter to life. He says it to a shamefaced Peter, who falls on his knees after the miraculous catch of fish. These are the words we long to hear right now in our world when we look around and see civil unrest and hear of wars and rumors of wars, of rising suicide rates, and the general sense of moral malaise that hangs over western society.
We live in an age of alarums and noises off. Minute by minute, we are bombarded with bad news, frightening reports, and dire prognostications. These events and situations often make us ask questions. Where is the Lord in all of this? Is he asleep on a cushion in the stern of the boat? We turn to him in prayer and what does he say? “Do not be afraid. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Peace be with you.”
God is not daunted by man’s inhumanity to man, by unforeseen disaster, or by our cruelty, our negligence, or our hate. He goes where angels fear to tread. He can reach into our misery and suffering and bring relief and healing. All we need to do — indeed all he asks us to do — is turn to him in prayer. He encourages us to “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
In my home parish we have a ministry of healing prayer, where someone can sign up for a prayer session of up to 45 minutes. I am on one of the prayer teams, and we have prayed with hundreds of people over the years. Many people have unspeakable pain from psychological or emotional wounds they received in the past, and what constantly astounds me, during a prayer session, is when I see Jesus delving into the agony of someone’s life and memories and bringing peace and healing to what otherwise would have been intractable damage and trauma.
Jesus’s “do not be afraid” is an invitation for us to trust in him, to trust that he has not forgotten us in our pain and suffering, that he cares deeply what happens to us, that he wants to stretch out his hand to heal our wounds and bring us peace and joy. How often have we looked at our current predicament thinking that nothing can solve our difficulties or mitigate impending calamity? We call out to God for help, and months later we look back on what occurred in response to our prayers and petitions and are amazed that things turned out well after all.
St. Augustine maintained that, when we trust in God, things turn out better than if the suffering had never arisen in the first place. Similarly, St. Paul reminds us: “We know that all things work together for good[a] for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28) Indeed, the crucifixion of Jesus is the example par excellence of that bizarre dynamic at work in what would have been the greatest catastrophe ever to have been visited on humanity, had it not been for the fact that his death freed us from eternal damnation.
No matter how grim and disheartening life appears, there is always hope. Jesus commands us to trust in him for our own good. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. (Jn 14:1) That’s right. Jesus is the answer. Now, what’s the question?
