12th Day of Lent: March 16, 2014: “Get up and do not be afraid” (Mt 17:7)

12^th Day of Lent:

          March 16, 2014:

“Get up and do not be afraid” (Mt 17:7)

One of the inspiring moments in the life a priest is the day of ordination. He is asked to prostrate before the altar while the whole congregation sings the litany of saints praying for the ordinandi. It is a crucial moment in the liturgy because right after that the Bishop is going to pray over him by the imposition of hands. There was a tremendous sense of awe and fear that overcome the ordinandi at that moment. It is a feeling of unworthiness that makes you fall to your knees to receive the gift of priesthood. This could be a moment of doubt, fear, anxiety, worry, this is it, no backing out, is it worth it all. It is a moment when you want to run away feeling like a coward or ashamed of yourself. This is what Paul is addressing in the second letter to Timothy saying, “my beloved child, rekindle the gift of God that is given to you. “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God” (1:7-8). Paul’s challenge to Timothy gets to the heart of fear that can strike even the boldest of believers. Is it truly worth it to suffer? To be imprisoned, persecuted, or mocked for my faith and belief? Is it worth turning from the pleasures of wealth and success to serve those in need or challenge the engines of power? What if I am wrong about all this? On the other hand we might feel and question whether we are worthy to stand before God, whether we are acceptable to God as we are and whether, finally, we deserve God’s love. These two forms of fear can be debilitating in our spiritual life preventing us from growing deeper in our faith. It is in following the path of Jesus that faith dissipates fear through the experience of the reality of God’s grace.

God draws nearer to us in moments like these just Jesus did in the mount of Transfiguration. You might think an encounter with the God of power and might,

seeing his glory, is going to change us for ever. Guess what happened to the chosen few at this glorious moment of Jesus. They were overcome by fear and drove them to their knees. The divine encounter, this itinerant preacher’s moment of Glory drove sinful human beings to their knees, makes clear our weaknesses and sometimes makes us wish God would just leave us alone. It is important to note what Jesus did at that moment of fear and awe and glory to the apostles. Jesus reached out to his apostles saying, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” After the ordination the priest is given a kiss of peace by the Bishop and the clergy, ‘Get up, do not be afraid’. It is this touch of the divine, this picking up of the lowly human being at his most vulnerable moments by the Bishop, the fellow priests, that makes you make the journey in God’s grace and guidance. If Abraham was found to be wallowing in fear, questioning God for the accuracy, clear direction, and factual approach, then Abraham would have never left Ur. Abraham made that leap of faith in to God’s hands.

Whether we fear that faith is meaningless or that we are meaningless, it is ultimately our experience of God that reveals God’s love for us and burns away the fog of fear. But if our fears tell us either that our faith has no substance or that we are not worthy of God’s love, it is time for us to reach out and grasp the hand of Jesus. Have no fear, for his hand outstretched to us allows us to stand in the presence of God, for God has come to save us, knowing fully our weakness and sin. So let not fear overcome you but allow the grace of God to touch you and heal you so that your life may be fuller and meaningful. Approach the sacrament of reconciliation to experience the divine touch so that you may be set from all the emotional, physical, spiritual and mental fears. He loves us too much to abandon us. God’s hand is always out for us and are we reaching to God to stand firm in grace?

                   

God Bless you always!
Sincerely Yours,
Rev. Fr. Cyriac Chandy Mattathilanickal, MS

Wishing you and yours A Holy Lent!

Rev. Fr. Tom Puthusseril, M.S.

                                                                                                                         Shrine Director