Fear in the Midst of Life's Storms

Homily for Wednesday after the Epiphany

Fear is so debilitating. It is especially damaging to our peace, our ability to face challenges with courage, and our ability to love. In today’s Gospel reading, the disciples of Jesus show us how debilitating fear can be.

There are many things that can lead us to fear. Certainly bad experiences of the past can cause fear of the future, fear of being hurt again. Uncertainty alone can lead to fear of the unknown. We all know from experience that the longer fear has a grip on us the deeper it gets.

What is the opposite of fear? What happens when love drives fear out? Fearlessness, for sure, is one result. There is a freedom and even a flexibility and courage. To be unafraid allows us to be bold, even to take risks we never would have taken before. It allows us to be vulnerable and less guarded or defended. Peace and a calm comes, in the absence of fear, that allows us to hear better, see better, experience more fully, and to discern the movement of the Holy Spirit more freely.

John is urging us to love, because God is love. He is inviting us to remain in God's love and to let God remain in us. He clearly states the obvious, which is so difficult to let deep inside of us. "If God so loved us, we also must love one another." We can see the tragic results when we try to love God and not love our neighbor. Our credibility as witnesses of God's love in us goes out the window. We know something is wrong. Upon reflection, we may discover that at the root of our struggle to love others is our fear, our many fears.

At the very beginning of the pandemic last March, Pope Francis turned to this Gospel passage and reminded us that while we are all "at sea, in a storm," we are in the same boat, with Jesus. Whatever sea tosses us around, whatever storm threatens our security, whatever fear begins to take hold of us. Jesus is there to say, "Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!"

Our role is to be open to, to ask for, to trust and rely on the love of God. We can choose to live in God’s  love and to let that love drive out our fear. Then, we will have courage and be freer and more centered and readied to calm the stormy seas others are facing, because we know God is with us always.