DO NOT BE AFRAID!
I
am an introvert. Introverts like me are often misunderstood and
second-guessed by people. Belonging roughly to only about a third of the
population, the rest of the general population may tend to look at us
as antisocial, mysterious, or at least keeping too much to ourselves
most times. But one thing that most people don’t know is that, apart
from all these, we tend to be a little fearful of new situations, new
assignments, new people to get along with, and new acquaintances to be
won over.
I
remember being terrified when I got my first assignment fresh out of
college. What could a 21-year-old neophyte like me contribute to that
place that I was sent to? The night my companions went to their
respective “choice” assignments, with me left behind in what I then
considered a forlorn place of exile, I cried. I was afraid of the
unknown.
The
disciples in today’s Gospel passage were also afraid. Seeing what
appeared to them as an unnamed “ghost” drawing near, they gave in to
fear. The Lord lost no time in telling them: “It is I! Do not be
afraid.” He revealed Himself.
Within
a few weeks, my fear in that place was replaced by a serene sense of
security. I began to know the people, especially the young. They also
got to know me better. My worst fears turned out to be more imagined
than real. The Lord slowly revealed Himself to me in and through the
goodness of people around me. Their kindness soon captivated my heart,
that when it was time to leave after two wonderful years, I was again in
tears.
I
was again afraid of what was coming — theological studies at UST! But
this time around, I was forearmed and forewarned by a most eloquent
teaching from the great Pope John Paul II. At his inauguration Mass, he
clinched what I had only begun to learn faintly from experience: “Do not
be afraid!” In life and in death, JP II lived what he himself heard
from the Lord, whom he knew intimately. “It is I. Do not be afraid.” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB
REFLECTION QUESTION: What
are your greatest fears right now? Listen to the Lord telling you, “Do
not be afraid,” and trust in His abiding presence and help as you go
through the unknowns in your life.
Lord Jesus, grant me a trusting heart as I tread unknown path
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