What are we to do during this time of confusion and fear. The numbers seem to go up every day, with the never-ending death toll also rising. We see this and become afraid for ourselves, our families, and those who we consider friends. This fear is born from the news we hear, yet it is not what God wants us to do.
One of the most used phrases in varying ways is “Do Not Be Afraid.” We have this to lean on during times of trouble and suffering. We are all suffering in one form or another. Those who are home, possibly with children, are beginning to become stir crazy and are wondering if all this is worth the pain and suffering it is causing.
If we consider a people of God, then fear should not be part of what we are feeling at this time. We need to go ahead and follow the directives of our federal and local governments in how we interact and congregate, but this does not mean we should be fearful of the outcome. During this time of suffering, we can become the men and women that Jesus calls us to be if we claim to be Christians.
If we choose to believe in Christ and truly let him live within our hearts, there is absolutely no reason for fear. We would become beacons of hope in the world by the joy and the serenity which we profess and express to others. Christ died on the cross, yes he did, but three days later he rose again.
We hear it said in scripture that all those who proclaim his name would receive salvation. The biggest question we have to answer is, do we genuinely believe that he is with us, or do we only say the words to those we want to impress or get off our back.
There are plenty of Christians who say, I believe in Christ, but do not have him dwelling within them. These are some of the ones saying we should ignore directives of the government and get together as always for Mass or Sunday services. Some of them believe that the government is just trying to limit our religious freedom in this country. Some believe that if they are worshiping God, they will not contract the disease. The question remains, are we willing to put others at risk simply to make sure we celebrate the way our religion calls us to do?
We undoubtedly need God in our lives during this time of distress to help guide us through the storm. The thing is we should be able to have God in our lives without attending religious services for a short period. We can bring him into our lives in any number of ways without risking our family and friends around us.
We can look at the scriptures to bring him closer to us. We can watch the Mass on Sundays, most likely from our parish, and listen to the homily on the readings, learning what our faith teaches. We can make an act of Spiritual Communion since we cannot currently receive the Eucharist.
We can read religious books that are available to learn again more about God and what our faith teaches in how to allow Him into our hearts to follow Him and His commandments. We can do all these things and learn more about God and Christ and make sure that we bring Him into our hearts as well as our minds. When we do this, we will no longer fear what is going on in our world, as the ultimate goal for every Christian is to gain eternal life with Christ. So be joyful and not fearful as we let Christ shine his light through us to light the darkness ahead.