These are fear-filled times, aren’t they?

Listening to the radio, the host said, these current times are like trying to relive the worst events in history, all at once. I see what he means! 

These months have been full of unexpected events that we have certainly read about or lived through: a pandemic, protests and riots, racial divide, hurricanes, fires, refugees at the border, hurt and scandal, migrant workers, shootings, limited access to certain store goods, tumultuous presidential election, uncertainty about leaving home, closed churches, restaurants, and stores at the command of the government. What else am I missing? 

There comes a point though that we just get tired of being afraid, don’t we?

We Wash Our Hands in Hope

In his recent video, Father Mike Schmitz speaks to the very topic of fear. He emphasizes how the Coronavirus reveals a fear that has always been there: the fear of death, which can enslave us! 

And as Christians, we have the luxury (the luxury of hope!) of not being fearful of what secular culture considers the worst outcome to all of these unforeseen circumstances: death. 

I have challenged myself on this. I have had friends who have challenged me, as well. If death is the worst actual end, what is there to fear? Matthew 10:28

We don’t go looking for death, so we wear our masks, social distance, and disinfect, but we don’t fear death either. As Father Mike said: “We wash our hands, but we wash them in hope!” 

We Trust God is Who He Says He Is

So, how do we move past this fear that has been revealed in so many of us? 

We do this by trusting God is who he says he is – he truly is! And by believing he keeps his promises revealed to us in Scripture. We ask the Lord to increase our trust! 

I was on a retreat with the Sisters of Life the first time I heard the Litany of Trust. Part of the prayer goes like this: 

• From the belief that I have to earn your love, Deliver me, Jesus.
• From anxiety about the future, Deliver me, Jesus.
• From the fear that trusting you will leave me more destitute, Deliver me, Jesus.
• From resentment or excessive preoccupation with the past, Deliver me, Jesus.
• From the fear of being asked to give more than I have, Deliver me, Jesus.
• From the belief that my life has no meaning or worth, Deliver me, Jesus.
• That your love goes deeper than my sins and failings and transforms me, Jesus, I trust in you.
• That not knowing what tomorrow brings is an invitation to lean on you, Jesus, I trust in you.
• That you are with me in my suffering, Jesus, I trust in you.
• That your plan is better than anything else, Jesus, I trust in you.

For a downloadable PDF of the Litany of Trust from the Sisters of Life, click here. Listen to Sr. Caroline Caritas, SV, as she shares the song she wrote based on the Litany of Trust.

Let Us Bring Our Fears to the Cross

I need to send my fear and lack of trust to the cross to be taken care of by the Lord because we know how the story ends. “Where, o death, is your victory? Where, o death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)