“Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled or Afraid”

“The only thing we have to fear is … fear itself”, said Franklin D. Roosevelt in his inaugural address. As an ontological human emotion, fear is our natural reaction when we feel unsure and vulnerable. We all face fears daily: fear of failure, fear of aloneness, fear of getting sick, fear of suffering, fear of being abandoned, fear about the future, fear of nothing, fear of our own fear, etc. In this time of public health crisis, the entire humanity is afraid of Covid-19. This fear seems to be rooted in the fear of death. If we are not necessarily afraid of death, at least we are afraid of all that threatens our mortal life. God who created us with the potential of being afraid knows that our faith and trust in Him can be shaken by our fear of losing our mortal life even though we believe in the resurrection of the body.

Jesus knew that, at the hour of his passion and death, his own disciples would abandon him and lock themselves by fear of losing their own mortal lives. In today’s world, Jesus knew that our churches would be closed around the world, paradoxically, at the moment of challenge when the people of God need more prayers. Jesus knew that while the stores of material food that nourishes our mortal bodies will remain open, the spiritual food will not really be an object of big concern. Our Lord Jesus knew no one would try to imagine a way to help his people to be fed by the bread of life, especially at Easter when we celebrate Jesus' victory over death and the glorification of our mortal body through Him, the first born from the dead. Fear can prevent our taking a kind of “risk” like Peter who stepped out of the boat, trusting that Jesus would keep him from sinking into the raging water. Fear can lock us in our comfort zone. That is why, through the mouth of the prophet, God urges us: “Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand” (Is 41: 10).

The right hand of God became obvious in our midst through Jesus. He said to his disciples not to let their hearts be troubled but to keep faith in God and in him. After his resurrection, he came back to strengthen their faith by asking them not to be afraid. These are the same words the Risen Lord is saying to us in this challenging time. We know that we are called to “fear not”. Meanwhile, we wonder how it can be possible to feel no fear with all that is happening in the world. There are many reasons for us to fear in our fallen and broken world. Being afraid of something like Covid-19 for example can keep us safe. How can we reconcile our fear and our faith?

Fear does not mean that our faith becomes useless or fear does not necessarily mean the absence of faith. Sometimes fear can be the underpinning of faith. Fear can motivate our faith towards actions. It works like what Hans Jonas said about the heuristic of fear. Fear of technology's consequences can lead to preventive action that would protect us against negative impact of technology. Instead of being only a negative emotion, fear can help us to be aware of something being relevant when we perceive how that thing is at stake or in danger. For example, we are now more aware of the importance of the Holy Eucharist as the churches are closed. Therefore, fear may be a guide to responsibility or a guide towards an acting faith. My hope is that the fear of Covid-19 is helping us understand how fragile we are. I hope we are more and more aware of our illusion that we can control and take care of ourselves and our lives, without being open to God, the Author and Master of life. Our fear should open us and to the one who can deal with all that threatens our lives, even death itself. It is an invitation to humility. “So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you” (1 P 5: 6-7).

When Jesus is asking us to fear not, he knows that fear belongs to our human condition, therefore, we will still have fear. We have to fear the fear that does not open us to the Master of life, or the fear that does not guide us towards an acting faith. Beyond our fear, Jesus wants us to remain connected to him and to God who gives us peace through the Holy Spirit. “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you receive a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, ‘Abba, Father’!” (Rm 8: 15). Only God can deal efficiently with all that threatens our lives. He is the one who is inspiring all those who are working hard to improve our living conditions today. Therefore, “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid”.