Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Have faith in God. Have faith also in me.”
—John 14:1
Father Richard Rohr reflects on the relationship between anxiety, fear, and faith:
Our time has been called the age of anxiety, and I think that’s probably a good description. We no longer know what or where our foundations are. When we’re not sure what is certain, when the world and our worldview keep being redefined every few months, we’re going to be anxious. Understandably, we want to get rid of that anxiety as quickly as we can. I know I do. Yet, to be a good leader of anything today—a good pastor, manager, parent, teacher, or even a good citizen, we have to be able to contain and patiently hold a certain degree of anxiety and fear. Greater levels of leadership require leaders who are capable of holding greater anxiety. Leaders who cannot hold anxiety will never lead us any place good or new.
That’s probably why the Bible says “Do not be afraid” almost 150 times! If we cannot calmly hold a certain degree of fear and anxiety, we will always look for somewhere to expel it. Expelling what we can’t embrace gives us an identity, but it’s a negative identity. It’s not life energy, it’s death energy.
Can we recognize how different the alternative of faith and trust is? Faith can only build on a totally positive place within, however small. God just needs an interior “Yes” to begin, a mustard-seed-sized place that is in love—not fear—that is open to grace. [1]
One could sum up the Bible, and our lives, as an interplay of fear and faith. In general, people are obsessed and overpowered by fears; they fear what they cannot control. God is one of our primary fears, because God is totally beyond us and totally beyond our control. The good news is that God has breached that fear and become one of us in Jesus. Through Jesus, God says, in effect, “You can stop being afraid. It’s okay. You don’t have to live in chattering fear of me.”
The opening chapter of Luke’s Gospel presents Mary as the archetypal Christian because God comes into her life and proclaims the divine presence within her, immediately telling her through the angel, “Do not be afraid” (Luke 1:30). Through the same divine Spirit, God comes into our lives and announces the divine presence within each of us. All we are asked to do is be present and open. Only after God calls Mary beyond her fear does God give the message of her calling.
Fear can keep us from hearing what is really being said. Mary’s spirituality is focused on trusting. She said, “Let what you have said be done to me” (Luke 1:38). She doesn’t try to explain or understand. She just says, “I trust you, God. Do with me what you will. Let it be.” [2]
References:
[1] Adapted from Richard Rohr, The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder (Franciscan Media, 2020), 32–33.
[2] Adapted from Richard Rohr, The Good News According to Luke: Spiritual Reflections (Crossroad Publishing, 1997), 66, 69.
Image credit and inspiration: Pao Dayag, untitled (detail), 2021, photo, Unsplash. Click here to enlarge image. Like a seedling rising out of the earth, we unfold into the brightness of day, knowing that God is a source of protection and life.
Story from Our Community:
Because I have always been a person full of fears, I have kept God close most of my life. Mustering courage is a full-time job for me, so I pray, “Help me, help me, help me” and then “Thank you, thank you, thank you” through many days. Jesus has always been with me.
—Margaret C.
