Handling Fear - Matthew 14:22-33

Jesus teaches us some lessons today about handling fear.  There’s probably not one of us here today that, in the midst of the turbulence that we have faced this year, who can boast that they have stood above it all and have not had some sense of fear and trepidation.

Maybe we’ve had the illness affect us or a loved one directly. Maybe it got a little scary for us watching news reports of outbreaks including the recent one at Manor Care. Maybe it wasn’t so much the disease itself, but it was the ancillary effects such as a job loss or the stock market taking a sudden nose dive. Like the disciples, we too may have been, or continue to be, terrified.  How is it that we can best handle our fears? 

In the Gospel, the disciples are in a fearful moment, but Jesus comes to them in a way that shows that he is the master of what they fear.  He is walking on the very waves that are generating their fear. Because of this, they even fear him, but he says: “take courage.” In Mark’s version of this Gospel he uses the phrase “take heart.” Don’t fear, love.  Courage is not about lack of fear, it is about love overcoming fear.

When everyone around us is being wrapped up in this tornado of fear that has been cast upon us as we watch the news every day, we can instead live in the assurance of God’s love. As disciples of Jesus, we are blessed with the ability to discern and filter out the propaganda of panic and focus on his perfect love. As we’ve heard from John the Evangelist, perfect love casts out fear.
                                                                                        
I was listening to a talk this week by Fr Mike Schmitz, a well-known priest from Minnesota, who frequently publishes short, very poignant reflections on YouTube that tie our faith to our culture and to current events. In a reflection this week, he talked about the discernment that we must go through that enables us to make the distinction that we know to be true: God is not the problem, the problem is the problem.

In the midst of all the turbulence we’re experiencing, it’s natural to be drawn into wondering “God, where are you?  You said that you are faithful to your promises. Where are you now when I need you the most?”

Here’s where the distinction comes in. What is the promise of Jesus? The promise of Jesus is simply this: He says in John 16, “In this world you will have trouble.” That’s the promise. “In this world you will have trouble, but” he completes the sentence with the same exhortation as we hear today, “take courage, because I have overcome the world.” He never promised that we would never experience grief or disappointment.

Jesus never promised to be like a genie who will wash away all that afflicts us, but he promised that he will be there with us, to the end of the age. He says to us, “in the midst of your pain, your anxieties and your fears, I will be there. In the midst of the political unrest and unrest in your cities, the floods, the fires, the pandemic, I will be there.” 

A doubter might say, “Well, what good is it if I am still enduring these trials and all this anxiety, while God is here, but letting it happen.” Those that express this kind of sentiment might be revealing what it is… they really want. It may even reveal why they’re drawn to God.

There are a myriad of reasons why any of us are drawn to God. Some might be drawn to God because we desire to discover the truth, the truth of who he is.  Some of us are drawn to God by his goodness, experiences that we’ve had in our lives that told us that we’re not here by accident. Some of us are drawn to God by the beauty of his creation. Some of us might be drawn to God by his mercy, the encouragement of others, or maybe it’s a combination of all of the above.

But as Fr Mike Schmitz points out some of us might have been drawn to God by the mistaken notion that if I follow him, I’ll be free of the pain and anxiety and problems in this life…  If that’s the case, we have to be delivered from that mistaken notion. Because what it reveals is that what I really desire is the gift, and not the giver. I would rather have the deliverance, and not the deliverer.

When Jesus was living, when he was incarnate, as we read through the accounts in the Gospels, there’s never an instance when Jesus promised the disciples peace, at least the kind of peace that the world offers. He didn’t say in this Gospel, “OK Peter, you passed the test. You walked on the water. You’re in the club (like joining a fraternity).  Now I’m going to calm the waters for you in perpetuity.” No, it didn’t work that way.

In fact, Jesus says if you want to be my disciple, you must do three things: Deny yourself, pick up your cross daily and follow me. Jesus is saying that these are the three ingredients of being a Christian. He doesn’t say that we will have trouble in this world in order to punish us. It’s abundantly clear that he loves his disciples. He loves us. But as he says, “take courage, I have overcome the world.” The truth of the matter is, it is in our problems where we are brought into a greater intimacy with God.


Thinking about it further, God uses our problems to change us for the better. The word “problem” in its original Greek means to “throw” or to “thrust forward”.  We know from our own experience that it’s been through our trials and problems that we’re enabled to build character. In truth, a challenge-free life is one that likely leads to spiritual stagnation.
                                                    
We may be fearful for our future. We may have had everything that we counted on in this life turned upside down. We may be disappointed in life, but we must not allow ourselves be disappointed in God. In the midst of our fears, in the midst of our grief and anxiety, we mustn’t let it affect our faith. In the midst of our sorrows, we can’t let it take away our hope. In the midst of our pain, that we can’t let it take our trust.  

In the midst of all that frightens us, Jesus has promised to be there for us.  In the midst of this pandemic and all its collateral damage, he is here with us. He may or may not deliver us from our crosses or all that snares and bewilders us, but he will be at our side us through it all.  As we will say in our parish prayer in a few moments, “Lord, either shield us from suffering, or give us the unfailing strength to bear it.”

So let us take with us this challenge for the coming week. Will we be trusting in the false promise (that neither Jesus nor anyone else made) that we won’t experience problems and sorrows just because we follow Christ, and call ourselves Christians?  Or will we simply trust in Him?

So we pray, Lord, we know there will be turbulence ahead of us just as we’ve seen turbulence behind us. You have promised us that there will be troubles. The winds may blow and buffet our houses, and our houses may even collapse. But we know you will be there with us. Give us the conviction of faith to know that you are all we need. Help us to live lives of praising and not of pouting. Guide our eyes to focus on you, the deliverer, and not on the deliverance. Encourage us to pray and seek your face in the midst of the storms. We know that in the end, if we put our trust in you, love will ultimately win over fear and the storms of this life will long be behind us.

Amen!