The challenge of fear

"The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.' " -- Luke 1: 30 (RSV)

 About a month ago, I started reading a book called The Gift of Faith by Father Tadeusz Dajczer. It came highly recommended by a fellow Secular Carmelite, and I've not been disappointed. If you're looking for an inspiring book to read during the Year of Faith, check it out.

Among the many insights from Fr. Dajczer is this from his chapter, "The Virtue of Faith":

"Fear is a trial of faith and that is why God allows it, so that you may grow in faith. Trust and faith are made perfect amidst fears.

"Fear can contribute to illness in many people. Fear lies at the basis of neuroses and psychoses. But it can be an outlet to total abandonment to God. Everything depends on you. Fear is a challenge issued to you. What will you do with it? Will you allow yourself to be enslaved by its weight? Or, instead, will you try to perform acts of abandoning yourself to Him who is infinite power and love." (p. 53)

This is what Mary did when faced with the Archangel Gabriel's visit and message. She did not allow either fear of the angel or fear of the implications of God's call to hold her back. Instead, she abandoned herself totally to God and His will: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word."

Lord, through the prayers of Your Mother, help me to respond to every fear that I experience in my life by abandoning myself to You in trust, faith, and love.

Carrying others to Jesus

"They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
'Child, your sins are forgiven.'"--Mark 2:3-5 (NAB)

We all in one way or another have been brought to Jesus thanks to the faith of others. Some of us were brought to Baptism as infants, thanks to the faith of one or both of our parents. Others came to the Lord as adults, borne by the faith of friends or maybe an author we read or someone we heard on the radio or saw on TV.

In addition to the actions of others that we're aware of, we have all been brought to the Lord by the prayers of others. Two months before she died of tuberculosis at age 24, St. Therese said to her sisters, "How often have I thought that I may owe all the graces I've received to the prayers of a person who begged them from God for me, and whom I shall know only in heaven." (St. Therese of Lisieux, Her Last Conversations, July 15, 1897)

Lord Jesus, help me to be both humbled and grateful for all the people, known and unknown, who have borne me by their faith to You throughout my life. And help me--in my words, actions, and especially my prayers--to persevere in bringing others to You. Grant me the faith, determination, and perseverance of the friends of the paralytic, not giving up until those You have given me to carry to You are at Your feet and You speak to their hearts the word of healing that they need to hear. Amen.