No Fear. That was a clothing brand that was popular when I was in high-school back in the 1990’s. Kids could be seen wearing shirts and hats with the words “No Fear” spelled out in bold, jagged letters. Most of the guys I knew had something with “No Fear” on it.
In the summers after high-school, I worked at the factory where my Dad had worked for the 30+ years prior – I was there as part of the college student summer help program. The work was hot, often hard and could be dangerous at times, especially if you lose your concentration and your mind wanders (I’ll write about the time I was almost pierced by a rod of brass some other day).
There was one guy there, Clarence, who was roughly the same age as my Dad. He was a Vietnam War veteran, and was a really great guy once you got to know him – well, that’s if you kept quiet, worked hard, and showed respect.
He and I got along well.
My Dad told me a story one day where he and Clarence were talking. Clarence talked about the war every now and then with my Dad, and one day, he saw one of the college kids at the factory with one of those No Fear shirts on. He looked at my Dad and said something to the effect, “that kid doesn’t know what fear is…”
That story has always stuck with me, and has always made me think. And I thought of it today as I reflected on the readings, specifically the Gospel. I’ve heard stories from my Dad, and I cannot imagine the things Clarence saw and experienced, like any war veteran who has seen combat. I know sometimes he felt the fear of death with every step. He always had to be on his guard, and sometimes, as he witnessed, even that was not enough.
That’s a different-level-kind-of-fear, that fortunately, most of us do not have to experience. Most of us, do not face combat. And most of us, do not face direct persecution for our faith. Most of us are not attacked out of vengeance by our enemies. Some of you have though, and still do. And I know some of you have felt this kind of fear in your own lives, and please know that you are in my prayers.
Most of us have never truly looked evil into the eye – an evil intent on killing you. But you can be sure of one thing – evil is looking you in the eye, and is intent on destroying you. You may not be able to see it, it is very subtle and blends in, but it is there. It is intent on destroying marriages and families, men and women. Our youth. All of us.
We are in a spiritual battle in this world, and it’s a different-level-kind-of-battle. The enemy is everywhere. We may not be dug into a foxhole, or trying to sidestep mines, and we may not be under direct attack by ISIS, but the enemy is there, trying to steal our souls. Turn on the TV, scroll through social media, look at your favorite news app, heck, even look at billboards. The enemy is trying to pick us off, one by one. It can be scary.
But then here you have Jesus today, telling us to “Fear no one… And do not be afraid.”
Wait, what?
I look at all the stuff in the world that I have to face, that my wife has to face, that my son has to face, even at 9 years old. And all he will have to face in the future. I look at all the selfishness and greed, and sexual lust and the lust for power, and the way with which relativism has flipped society on its head. We are in a battle, and we’re going to be in it for a while.
How can you look at all of this, coupled with the terrorist violence and hate, especially for Christians in the world – how can you look this evil in the face and not be afraid? How can we literally live this life and have No Fear?
I think back to Clarence. I know when he was in combat, he was, at times, frightened beyond belief. I had the pleasure of talking to my wife’s grandfather before he passed away about his experiences in Normandy in WWII, and how his knees were shaking so bad at times out of fear that he could hardly stand. But here’s the thing. Somehow, they worked through that fear, their training took over, they trusted in each other and by the grace of God, they got through it. They may not have been religious and had a strong faith, but God’s grace was there.
I think this is what Jesus is telling us today. He knows that we’re going to be afraid at times. There will be times when we are almost paralyzed in a fearful situation resulting from whatever is happening in our lives. But like He did in His Passion, we need to endure and trudge through it.
Jesus is telling us to persevere through it, because He did. He’s telling us to trust in our training, the training He has provided for us. He’s telling us to trust in His grace, that regardless of what is going on, He will provide us the special graces we need to get through it – one way or another.
He’s telling us to once again, look at Him up on the cross – pray those sorrowful mysteries – and really ponder what He endured, use His experience to calm ourselves through our own trials, and know that He will be there with us to help us get through it, and carry on here in life, and in the next life.
He’s telling us once again, that even through all the heartache and the pain, and the fear – don’t deny Him. Acknowledge Him before everything else. Desire Him, and when you fall, when you fail Him – don’t turn your back on Him. Get back up and seek His forgiveness with no fear.
This is how we live through the fearful things around us without fear – we put Him first in our lives – in the good and the bad, through the physical battles and the spiritual battles. He is our Guide, our Motivation and our Purpose, through everything. Knowing this, we can lose our fear of what might happen, and of what is, and look forward to what will BE through Jesus. That is my hope – every day – looking towards what God will grace me with that I cannot even imagine, even during the times that are so darn tough and all I can think about is my plan, and my will. It’s easier said than done, but its something I strive to do, that we all can strive to do – to trust in Christ – in all we do, and do so with no fear.
JER 20:10-13; PS 69; ROM 5:12-15; MT 10:26-33
