A common fear

 

A lot of people have irrational fears of something or other. Spiders, the outdoors, confined spaces and so on.

I have a fear of heights. Some would say this is not irrational because falling from a height can be dangerous and fatal; but be that as it may. I have a fear of heights. Even wearing shoes with a slight high heel worries me. I never stand on tiptoes. I'm afraid if I do my head will hit the ceiling.

I went to see a hypnotist to cure me from my fear of heights. Her name is Dr Ellie Vator.

She gave me a handkerchief with some smelly substance to put on my nose and then she swung a watch on a chain in front of my eyes and talked softly. I soon fell asleep. 

When I woke up I was on top of the wardrobe. I panicked. She just sat there filing her nails and colouring them and asked me to get down. I was terrified. She shook the wardrobe and I fell crashing to the ground. She said that our next session will help me control my fear. "To conquer your fear you must control your fear!" she said in a fearful accent.

At the next session she put me to sleep again. I woke up on top of the Eiffel Tower. The following session after that I ended up on the Tower of Pisa. And then the Colosseum, the Parthenon and other places. 

It is costing me a fortune in travelling expenses getting back to London. Plus her expenses too coming with me, and charging for her services. She said she'd never had so many vacations. 

I think she was hypnotising me to continue to go to her for hypnotic sessions.

So now I go to another hypnotist to cure me from the compulsion of going to a hypnotist. Unfortunately his office is on the 20th floor of a block of offices. And I'm still afraid of heights.

I am looking for a hypnotist with an office on the ground floor or possibly in the cellar. I want him to cure me from my fear of heights and to stop me seeing hypnotists. 

Fear

Fear is a natural emotion. We all experience fear at one time or another in our lives. Fear can be a good thing at times because it  stops us from taking un-necessary risks. From being reckless and un-thoughtful in what you do.

But there are times when fear itself breeds more fear and grips us to the extent of ruling our lives.

Few of us are really immune to it.

The fear of losing our job and not being able to provide for our families. The fear of missing payments on our mortgage and losing our house. The fear of failure and being unable to work again. The fear of our very lives crumbling in front of our eyes.

The fear of a marriage breakdown. Infidelity. Divorce and its many heartaches. The tearing apart of a family. How it affects one's children. Separation. Costs. Access to children. Being no longer a part of their lives. The feeling of failure and betrayal.

The fear of growing old. Being alone. Especially at night. Forgotten with only one's memories for comfort. The fear of being unable to cope any more. The fear of losing control as others decide for you what is best. The fear that everyone you relied upon is now no longer there.

The fear of being ill. With no prospects of getting better. Relying on others and perhaps being a burden on family and friends. The fear of incapacity. The fear of being unable to make any decisions. The fear of being unable to afford treatment. The fear of un-ending pain.

The fear for others. Children. Grand-children. Other relatives or friends. How they are coping. How will they cope. The fear of the future and what it might bring. In an ever changing world, the very fear of opening a newspaper or seeing the news that something or other has happened that will adversely affect you or your loved ones.

Few of us can claim not to have experienced the real darkness of fear as it grips our minds, our imaginations and indeed our realities.

Because all these fears outlined above, and others besides not mentioned here, have actually happened to others and can very well happen to us.

One day we are living our lives happily and the next ... a quick change in circumstances can easily propel us into any of the fearful scenarios described above.

Christ taught us not to be afraid. That our God loves us. He cares for us. He will not let us perish. He is always by our side.

Yet ... these fearful events are real and have happened to others, those who love and obey God, and those who don't; and can so easily happen to us. So we feel, perhaps, that our fears are justified.

Until we consider, for a moment or two, how God feels about our so-called justified fears.

Isn't our fear, justified as it might be, a sign that we don't truly trust Him? A real profession of faith that, when it comes down to it, we don't really trust Him? Somehow, somewhere, in the back of our minds, we harbour that doubt, that worry, that when things will go bad for us, as they will inevitably be for some of us, we don't really trust Him enough to be by our side in our moment of need.

Now how do you think God feels about your lack of trust in Him?

We may not be able to help these fears when they attack our minds, perhaps sub-consciously, but we can fight against them with prayer. Real prayer. Through gritted teeth even. Admitting to God that we are fearful and yet, trying, through every fibre of our being to trust in Him, in His love and in His caring.

Fear will try to grip us all. It is how we handle it that is our salvation. And with His grace and help we will succeed.

FATHER FRANCIS MAPLE

Crippling Fear and Anxiety

 

The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." (John 6:16-21)

Fear is sometimes good for you. It stops you from taking unnecessary risks. From being reckless and unthoughtful in what you do. Fear is natural.

It is a human emotion like all the others. Fear can be real and warranted - we fear punishment and retribution for our crimes, we fear threats from aggressive people, we fear criminals, wild animals and so on.

Or fear can be imagined and unwarranted - we fear the unknown, new places we have to visit, new situations in our lives, new people we have to meet, or we fear change from the comfort we're used to, we fear what might happen in the future.

So fear, by itself, being natural, is not a sin. But how we react and deal with it can be. Too much unwarranted fear could be an insult to God in that we do not trust Him enough to look after us and care for us. Prayers are the answer.

Let us consider carefully what it is that causes our fear and if there is a genuine reason then we should seek help. Discuss the matter with a trusted relative or friend. If there is cause for concern then we should not suffer and worry alone. Others may be able to help us or get us to see our problem from their perspective.

If however our anxiety is without foundation; and there is nothing practicable we can do to change the situation; we should trust in God. This is what He asks of us. To tell Him how we feel and seek His help to calm us down. He has conquered fear. He has conquered the future. As well as evil. Forever.

Do not be afraid – I will save you. I have called you by name – you are mine. Isaiah 43:1 

It is no point having faith in a Master who walks on water if we do not trust Him enough to follow Him.

FATHER FRANCIS MAPLE

WEBSITE HERE

Bitten by bugs

 

Like many people, I am not immune from worries, concerns, doubts and some fears as to what may happen next.

The world is full of conflict at present. Global conflict amongst many peoples, conflict closer to home in one's own country, town or city, or even in one's family.

How many people have had a disagreement or serious falling out with another member of the family and as a result both vowed not to speak or see each other again. In doing so, not only have they built a great chasm between them preventing forgiveness and reconciliation, but they have also denied a future generation, their own children, from growing up knowing their cousins, uncles, aunts and other members of their families.

By taking entrenched positions that they are right, and the other person is wrong, they have sentenced their own offspring to a different life of not knowing their own extended family; and they have denied the older generation the joy and pleasure of seeing grand-children, nephews and nieces growing up.

What chance has the world to know peace if we can't keep the peace amongst our own families.

When conflict is great in the world we should recognise it for what it is. The continuous challenge of the devil against the Kingdom of God. It is by sowing conflict, fears and doubts that he surely draws us away from the path to eternal Heaven.

We make Satan's work easy for him by maintaining our point of view that we were right in our  disagreements with others. We do this without analysing how important the matter is compared to an eternity in hell.

Truly, the world will never know peace until it learns to forgive.

If we are to dispel our worries, fears and doubts about the future, let us start by making peace with God and each other.

Let's Be Logical

 

OK folks ... you'll have to humour me with this. Just keep along with me and think about what I am saying logically in your mind. Answer my questions to yourself, or share your thoughts if you wish. See if I'm talking nonsense or not.

We're living in difficult times full or troubles, anxieties and worries. Look at the state of the world right now. Or look at the economy, the cost of living, politics, poverty, weather patterns and disasters ... need I say more?

Right ... so where does all that leave us? Yes, you and me? 

Do we believe in God - Yes or No?

If we do believe in God, then do we truly believe He is on our side, that He loves us and cares for us? Yes or No?

"If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?" Romans 8:31-32

God is for us. He created us. He loves us just like any good parent loves his children. He is not in the business of losing His followers. We need to think and repeat this last sentence frequently. Christ taught about searching for the one lost sheep.

When we're faced with fears and anxieties we need to remember, ALWAYS, that it is the devil's favourite trick to frighten us and to take us away from God. 

We may not be able to control stray thoughts and worries that come into our minds from time to time. We may not be able to control or be responsible for bad dreams we have which keep us fearful in our waking hours. But we CAN keep them under check.

We logically analyse how real our fears are and whether we can get help in resolving them. A friend, a pastor, a professional etc ... there's always help available if our fears are real and not just imagined.

We logically ask whether God is on our side and faithfully hand over those fears to Him asking for His guidance and help.

And we genuinely resist the devil's attacks through prayers and truly holding on to the belief that God is on our side. Because at the end of the day it is what we truly believe that matters.

Fear

 

It was Friday once again, and Father Ignatius took the Catechism Class at the local Catholic School.

He noticed the children were somewhat subdued and not as perky and chatty as always.

“Is everything OK today?” he asked, “you have never been so quiet … or am I going slightly deaf in my old age?”

They smiled quietly and said nothing at first, then one of them hesitated “have you not heard Father … the school is being inspected tomorrow and we will all have to sit an English test and a Mathematics test set by the inspectors … no one knows what is in the tests …

“Our form teacher, Miss Farthing, said that if we don’t do well compared to the National Average, it will cause repercussions for the school and ourselves …”

“I understand you concerns …” said the priest gently.

“It’s more than concerns …” said another pupil, “we’re afraid and worried out of our minds … no one told us of these tests until a few minutes ago …”

“And what have you done about it?” asked the priest maintaining his gentle tone of voice.

“What can we do?” replied another child, “we’ve been told they’re new national tests and even Miss Farthing doesn’t know what is involved.”

“All right …” continued Father Ignatius, “let’s spend the next few minutes on these tests … no Catechism class today …

“First of all … don’t let your fears guide you; but allow God to do so.

“You have all done various English and Mathematics tests before … and these tests tomorrow, no matter how new and no matter how different, they will only involve material which you have already been taught. I doubt very much the inspectors will test material not on the national curriculum. The tests may be new but not the subjects which you have been taught.

“So do some quick revision … nothing too long and too thorough … just general stuff which you’ve been taught so far and do your best tomorrow.

“The reason you have been given so little time to prepare is deliberate … the inspectors do this to test a whole class at a given point in time with no prior warning. They do this in every school … so you’ll be no different to anyone else.”

He stopped for a while to check they’d calmed down a little.

“And now, if I may … a word or two about fear …

“Often in life we are faced with seemingly insoluble problems. So our first instincts are to work hard at finding a solution … we struggle … we worry … and we fear what may happen next.

“And in our fears and struggles we forget that God has the answer.

“There is no problem, however inconceivable it might be, which may come to us in life which God has not met before. And if God has met it … He sure has the answer and the solution.

“I am not talking just about English or Mathematics tests here … but any problems that you may face as you grow up and become responsible adults … any problems at all … faithfully hand them to God.

“Pray to God and trust Him to show you the way ahead. He wouldn’t be an omnipotent all-knowing God otherwise.

“Our hesitation to hand over our problems to Him, is itself a problem of our own making – not His

“So I repeat what I said earlier … do not let your fears guide you, but allow God to do so.”

He stopped as he physically noticed they’d regained confidence in themselves and their abilities. He led them in prayer that they would do well and allowed them to spend the rest of the afternoon revising English and Mathematics.

Do not be afraid

 

Matthew 10:26-33

'So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.'

‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.'

FATHER FRANCIS MAPLE

WEBSITE HERE

I am afraid

 

When I was a little boy I was afraid of monsters under the bed. My parents soon sorted that out by cutting the legs off my bed.

If we're honest, we are all afraid of something or other. We all have our own monsters under the bed. Fear manifests itself in many forms.

It could be fear of illness. Or fear of old age. Or of being alone, of losing our job. Or fear of poverty. Possibly fear of not getting married and being single all our life. Or fear of change or the unknown. Or fear of rejection.

Remember when we were kids and we had to choose two teams for a game and two leaders would choose from a bunch of kids who will be on their team? Were you always chosen first, or were you one of the last ones to be chosen? That's what fear of rejection feels like. Being the last one to be chosen, or to be chosen out of pity. Like when I sent my photo to a dating agency and they returned it with a note saying, "we're not that desperate!" That's rejection.

Well, let me tell you something. You are never rejected by God. You are unique. You are special. And you are one-of-a-kind. No matter what you may think of yourself you are not rejected by God. He created you and there are no rejects off His production line. 

And another thing; living in fear will not make you happy. No matter what your fear is, real or imagined, hand it over to God. Pray about it and hand it over to God in the full knowledge that He cares for you and will protect you.

Sometimes you may need to seek advice to help resolve a problem or matter that causes you fear. Do so in the full trust in God that He is with you every step of the way. 

Trusting in God is not easy for everyone. Some people do struggle at it and feel that God is not listening or that they are distant from Him. This is the devil playing with our fears to derail us and to take us astray. The closer we are to God in our daily prayers the more the devil will fight to lead us astray. And our fears are his playground. 

He tempted Jesus many times. So we should not be much of a challenge to him.

Prayers are the answer. Prayers and trust in God. Do not be afraid. He has redeemed you and loves you. (Isaiah 43:1)

 

FATHER FRANCIS MAPLE

WEBSITE

Fear Motivation

 

Yesterday's post seems to have resonated with a number of readers. Please read it again to refresh your memory, specifically the comments made by my loyal readers.

The point being: Do we have Faith and Trust in God because we love Him, or do we do so because we fear going to hell?

When I was at school we were taught about hell and the devil; and we were taught that unless we love God we will go to hell. To some extent, it was teaching based on fear. Many a sermon on Sundays was based on this principle. Jesus mentions hell fire many times in the Gospels. He loved the people He taught, but He was honest too. He did not hide the truth, and not warn about the devil and his determination to lead us astray and away from God's eternal love.

But then as time went by, the lesson from the pulpit changed a little, and then some more. Priests started teaching more about God's love, and mercy and forgiveness, rather than the consequences of our disobedience. 

Of course God loves us and cares for us, and wishes that we spend eternity with Him in Heaven. But He is just and fair too. If we turn our backs on Him and resent Him He will not force us into Heaven. No one is in Heaven against their will. But many are in hell because they chose to be there by their self-will and behaviour.

One could wonder whether it was this change of message from the pulpit, this change of emphasis from the consequences of sin that led to today's situation where few believe or love God. We could debate this point for ever. The fact remains that in today's churches very rarely do we hear of the existence of the devil and the consequences of sin.

The devil has as much right to be mentioned in the priests' sermons as God does. You would not expect to drive on a dangerous road without seeing warning signs of steep hills, sharp corners and other road hazards. Why have such warnings been forgotten over time to soothe a modern society?  

And so we ask: What is Faith?

Often Jesus taught to have Faith in God and to trust Him. Faith is a conscious free choice made by us as a first step. And as we take that first step, through prayer, God will strengthen that Faith.

We need to respond to God's invitation to love us. And we do so through obedience, respect and by responding to His love for us. 

Not by sitting back and relaxing complacently in our bad behaviour and sin in the hope that He will forgive us anyway. Such an attitude paves the way as we sleep-walk willingly into hell.

Do you fear God?

 

Hello and welcome to Time for Reflections.

One sentence that is often found in the Bible is about the fear of God. It’s often mentioned and refers to submission to God, and the fear of judgement and punishment and going to hell. A fear of God’s omnipotence and power. But is that really what fear of God should mean? Fearing punishment.

Let me give you a test.

Can you search in the Bible anywhere where Jesus says I have come to punish you for your sins.

Don’t bother looking for it. You will not find it because Jesus never said that He has come in order for us to be punished.

In fact in the Gospel of John Chapter 12 Verse 47 He says “anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him, for I have not come to judge the world but to save the world”.

Jesus came on earth to forgive our sins and to bring us back towards God because our sin moved us away from God.

In the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 12 Verse 7, after an argument with the Pharisees, He says to them, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”. Jesus has mercy on us and realises that as humans we are liable to sin. And He came to forgive sins.

In fact not just to forgive sins. But, if I could quote the Gospel of John Chapter 10 Verse 10 He says, “I have come that you might have life and have it to the full”.

God wants us to enjoy this life, not to endure it and to see Him as a punishing God Who expects us to obey Him or else.

He has given us the freedom to do as we wish.

God love us and He invites us to love Him back and to obey Him. Or indeed, not to love Him, and not to obey Him, and to deny Him even.

If we are to fear God, it should not be a fear born out of retribution or punishment that may come. It should be because we fear hurting Him. We fear disappointing Him by our behaviour and by our failures.

Our fear – if fear is the word – should be a fear born out of love and respect for Him, and for what He has done for us and continues to do for us.

Our obedience should be freely given as an act of love and not the result of fear.

Thank you for listening. God bless.   

Thank you very much for listening to Time for Reflections. This is Vic Moubarak saying bye bye for now and God bless.

Do NOT Be Afraid

 

                                     DO NOT BE AFRAID

If we are honest, we have all been afraid at one time or another in our lives. Afraid about something that might happen to us, or to our loved ones. And our fear, whether warranted or not, weakens our faith in God our loving Father. This song should prove comforting when we are in such mental turmoil.

.

FATHER FRANCIS MAPLE

WEBSITE HERE

I am afraid

 

The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." (John 6:16-21)

Fear is sometimes good for you. It stops you from taking unnecessary risks. From being reckless and unthoughtful in what you do. Fear is natural.

It is a human emotion like all the others. Fear can be real and warranted - we fear punishment and retribution for our crimes, we fear threats from aggressive people, we fear criminals, wild animals and so on.

Or fear can be imagined and unwarranted - we fear the unknown, new places we have to visit, new situations in our lives, new people we have to meet, or we fear change from the comfort we're used to, we fear what might happen in the future.

So fear, by itself, being natural, is not a sin. But how we react and deal with it can be. Too much unwarranted fear could be an insult to God in that we do not trust Him enough to look after us and care for us. Prayers are the answer.

Let us consider carefully what it is that causes our fear and if there is a genuine reason then we should seek help. Discuss the matter with a trusted relative or friend. If there is cause for concern then we should not suffer and worry alone. Others may be able to help us or get us to see our problem from their perspective.

If however our anxiety is without foundation; and there is nothing practicable we can do to change the situation; we should trust in God. This is what He asks of us. To tell Him how we feel and seek His help to calm us down. He has conquered fear. He has conquered the future. As well as evil. Forever.

Do not be afraid – I will save you. I have called you by name – you are mine. Isaiah 43:1 

It is no point having faith in a Master who walks on water if we do not trust Him enough to follow Him.
 

We Trust In God

 

It was Friday afternoon. Father Ignatius was at the local Catholic school taking on the Religion class as usual. He always allowed a few minutes at the end for the students to ask any questions which he promised to answer honestly. There was no hiding from them. They were astute enough to know when he was not being straight.

The first question was aimed directly and with force, "how do you trust God?"

"Do you mean me, personally," he asked, cleaning his spectacles to gain thinking time, "or do you mean anyone in general?"

"Both," said the teenager, "you always appear calm and full of faith, Father ... how do you do it? How can you be so sure that things will be OK? How can we or anyone else be so sure? To have faith like Jesus said!"

"Yeh ..." joined in another young man, "it was easy for Him. He was Jesus. We are not. We can't have His faith can we?"

A young girl raised her hand and asked, "are you never afraid Father? Have you never wondered that things may turn out not as you want? It's one thing to say you trust in God; but trust Him to do what? What if things don't turn out as you wished?"

He put on his spectacles and motioned gently for some quiet.

"So many good questions," he said quietly, "I don't even know where to start. But I'm sure you'll remind me if I miss out your question!"

They laughed.

"The first question asked by Helen was how do I personally trust God," he said, "there is no magic way to trust God. In my case, I base my trust through personal experience. I have lived much longer than all of you and when I look back, there have been many difficult and sad situations in my life. At the time, I was worried, concerned, afraid even. But when I look back I realise that over all they turned out all right. They may not have turned out exactly as I wanted but generally they worked out well in the end. 

"Looking back, I now realise that God was with me at the time. So, over the years, I have learnt to trust Him. Trust is something you build up gradually. When you first meet someone new you are unsure of them. You chat, you get to know them, they get to know you, and gradually you build up a friendship and you build up trust!"

"Is that how it is with you and God?" asked Peter.

"In a manner of speaking, yes it is," answered the priest, "I have experienced many difficult situations in life. I guess at the time I panicked. Why me? I asked myself. I am a good person. I love God. I am a priest for Heavens sake; why is this happening to me?"

They laughed again. He had the knack of using humour to teach a lesson they'd remember.  

"But in general, all worked out well in the end," he continued, "God was there to protect me. And that has built more trust in Him. So now, when things do go wrong, I try to remember again events in the past and I try to trust Him again. It is not always easy, especially if the situation is really dire, but you have to trust God as best you can! But based on past experiences when God helped me I have learnt to trust Him more and more every day. Now, what was the other question?"

"Have you ever been afraid?" asked June, "that things would not go well ..."

"Yes, often ..." said Father Ignatius gently, "fear is a natural emotion. It just happens. Fear is good, because it teaches us to be careful, not to do dangerous things, not to be reckless. As we grow, we learn to control our fears. We learn to identify which are genuine fears and which are unwarranted fears based on our imagination perhaps, our tiredness, wrong information or understandings and so on. 

"But sometimes in life fear just happens especially in a dangerous situation. Let me explain. Once, years ago, I was visiting an elderly parishioner who was very unwell and not expected to live beyond the night. She lived in the Northern part of town which, as you know, is not that nice a place. It was late at night, it was raining and very dark. On my way to the car as I left her home a mugger pointed a knife at me."

He paused to judge their reaction.

"Yes ... I was afraid ..." he said, "I was not so much afraid of dying ... but I was more afraid as to how much it would hurt if he stabbed me!"

"Gosh ..." said one of the young teenagers, whilst the others remained silent.

"What other questions were there?" he asked to ease the tension. They remained silent. 

 "Look ..." he said, "life is not always easy. For some of us it is sometimes difficult. I hope you will not have many difficulties as you grow up. But you need to learn, now that you're young, to trust God every day. See Him as a friend, a caring Father, Someone who loves you. Jesus said to His disciples ... and to us ... 'I call you friend!' ... look it up in John Chapter 15 Verse 15 ...

"As a friend ... Jesus ... and God our Father, care for us. They will not see us perish and be lost to Him. Yes ... we will have difficult times; but God will always be there by our side. Protecting us. Jesus is but a prayer away. All we need do is call His name. 

"Trust God now ... when life is good and perhaps you're generally doing well in life. And that trust will grow when things get harder!"

The Mummy Returns

Phone rings ... I answer ...

Hello! Oh hi darling ... Arrived at the railway station already?

Yes ... the children are spending the night at the Thompson's ... Yes ... I know I was meant to pick you up from the railway station ... I'm sorry you've been waiting so long ... Look darling ... can you not come home on your own?

Well ... there's a bit of a problem over here ... There's a yellow jacket in the hallway ... just by the front door ... it's as huge as an elephant I tell you.

No ... I can't get past it ... It's flying all over the place and buzzing menacingly ... You know how scared I am of them ... especially since that day when there was one with me in the shower ... It tried to get me in the bits ... remember? Then as soon as you came in it beat a retreat.

I am not a wimp ... what if the yellow jacket had stung me in a delicate place?

That's not a nice thing to say ... No of course I'm not naked right now ... why would I be? But I was then in the shower.

Right now I'm in the bedroom ... I daren't get out in case it attacked me as I got in the hallway ...

I know it's getting dark ... and there are no taxis or buses at the railway station ... Can't you just walk home? I'm just too scared to get past the yellow jacket to come and get you ...

Of course you won't get attacked ... no one would dare ... no ... no ... I meant to say no one would attack you because ... because ... look dear ... you know how scared I am of these creatures ...

Yes I know it's getting dark ... just use the torch I got you for your birthday ...

No, I'm not being facetious ... I'll have you know I've been trapped in the bedroom for ages and I want to go to the bathroom and I dare not get out because of the yellow jacket. My legs are crossed over each other to hold it in ... I nearly used that vase your mom gave you for your birthday, then I thought you'd be angry ... probably more angry than if I failed to pick you up from the station ...

No, of course I did not use the vase ... yet. Yes I realise if you walk home you'll have to go through the park ... The chances of you being mugged or attacked are minimal ... In such cases when working out probabilities you have to account for all factors ...

It means that the fact that there's a threatening yellow jacket here is a certainty ... the fact that I am about to wet myself is a more certain probability ... but there's no certainty that someone is waiting to attack you in the park ... so the probability of me being stung or getting wet is much higher than you being attacked ...

I'm not a yellow bellied coward darling ... Of course I love you ... You know I do ... Don't cry ... No I can't run past it with my legs crossed as they are ...

I don't know how it came in ... probably through the open window ... We don't have any wasp spray ... if we did it would not be here in the bedroom would it? What would I want to spray in the bedroom?

I know wasps and flying insects don't get in the house when you're here ... they wouldn't dare ...

I didn't mean a thing by it ... it was just a joke ... darling ... I was joking ... don't hang up ... Darling!!!

The Fear Of God

Father Ignatius waited until the congregation sat down and then he started his sermon.

“We often read in the Bible about people fearing God, and the fear of God. And that’s an issue which I would like to address today.

“What is meant by the fear of God?

“Do we fear that unless we obey Him and do as He commands He’ll send thunder and lightning from heaven and destroy us and our cities? Like in Sodom and Gomorrah?

“Or perhaps He would allow illness and terrible things to happen to us because we failed Him in some way or other?”

The priest stopped for a few seconds to gauge the mood of the congregation; and then continued.

“There are, of course, many kinds of fear. If a tiger were to suddenly enter this church we would all fear for our lives and we’d run out from every available exit. Most of us would even forget to genuflect as we rushed out of the building.”

The congregation laughed.

“But that is not the fear I speak of …

“If we believe that our God is a loving, caring fatherly God, whose only wish is that some day we all join Him in Heaven; then what is there to fear?

“Our fear is not, and should not be, a fear borne of the possibility of punishment and retribution. A fear that, unless we do as He says, we’ll end up in hell and eternal damnation.

“That is not the fear that God wishes for us. After all, He gave us the choice to love Him or not.

“Sadly, many do not either love Him or fear Him. And they seem to be thriving all right! He has not punished them or turned them into pillars of salt! In His loving nature, He has allowed them the luxury to choose as they wish.

“So … what fear is there for us then, who proclaim to believe in Him and to love Him?

“It is the fear of hurting Him.

“I repeat … the fear of hurting Him. Just as when we have a loving father or mother who do the utmost for us; and they set their standards and values to teach us how to grow up as decent, kind human beings. We, their children, follow their rules, through gritted teeth perhaps, just because we love them and do not want to hurt them.

“That’s the kind of fear we owe our God, our Creator and our loving Father in Heaven. The fear of hurting Him. The fear of disappointing Him by our behavior. A fear borne out of respect for Him; a fear nurtured by true love given to Him freely just as He has loved us.

“Not a fear of what He might do to us. But a fear of hurting someone who loves us.

“Remember … even the devil fears God. But he fears Him in a different way. He fears Him because he knows Him very well. The devil certainly knows God better than any of us does; because he has met Him face to face.

“And yet, having been close to God and experienced His love, the devil chose to disobey and strike out independently on his own. He thought he could do better than love and follow his Creator.

“And God’s loving nature let him go. He did not punish him and destroy him once and for all. He just allowed him to walk away free out of Paradise.

“It is that very act of rebellion by the devil which resulted in death for all of us. We were not destined to die, but to share Paradise for eternity with God. But the devil in his destructive, impudent rebellious nature has upset what was meant to be and his sin resulted in us undergoing death.

“God our Creator favors life. He created life.  In order to redeem us and save us from death, He loved us so much that He sent us His only Son, Jesus, so that we may have life, and have it to the full.

“All we have to do to receive this eternal life is to accept Jesus as God’s only Son, our Savior, and to fear the possibility of ever hurting Him again by our behavior.

“God will never send us to hell. It is we who choose to go there by our way of life; and by choosing the devil instead.”

A question of faith of fear

Is faith the result of fear of the consequences if we do not have faith? Or is it somehow a self-generated product of our determination to believe without any tangible proof or evidence?

If faith is a gift or grace bestowed upon us by God; then are those with little or no faith to blame for their situation? Who takes the first step in faith? The individual or God by giving them faith to start with?

If faith could be measured … … … Jesus said if we had faith as much as a mustard seed we could perform miracles … … … if faith could be measured, and since none of us can perform miracles like those recorded in the Bible, does it imply perhaps that we do not have faith, or not enough?

Why is it that some people have faith so weak that they stumble again and again when things get rough, (and I admire their persistence in this rather than giving up), whilst others have a faith so strong that it withstands, and indeed increases, with every calamity in their lives? Is this of their own doing or are they given Divine help to maintain and increase their faith?

But let’s go back to the original question. If someone has a smidgen of faith, and closes his eyes tightly and wills himself to believe even though he does not understand fully; he just does it because of fear of “going to hell”; is his faith somehow deficient and tainted because of its motivation? Or is it just as welcome by God?

Peter had faith when he attempted to walk on water. But when his faith was soon deflected he began to sink. He had faith and courage when he withdrew his sword and hit one of those who came to arrest Jesus. But that faith soon evaporated when he denied knowing Christ a few moments later. Thomas had faith when he followed Christ for years and, like the other disciples, witnessed His many miracles. Yet he too put aside all his faith and let doubts cloud his judgement and beliefs. No doubt other disciples and followers of Jesus started with a modicum of faith which soon deserted them when the going got rough. Like those people who could not understand Jesus when He said that unless they eat His flesh and drink His blood they will not have eternal life. They soon got up and stopped following Christ.

Of course, no one has questioned the disciples original motivation when their faith led them to leave their previous life and follow Jesus just because He asked them too. Was it curiosity that led them to do so? Was it a deep rooted personal belief as they saw Him preach and perform miracles? Or was it because they feared the consequences had they decided not to follow Jesus and His teachings?

And that, I suppose is the nub of the question. One’s motivation to have faith.

If a person meets St Peter face to face at the Pearly Gates, and the records show on the Saint’s computer that this individual had faith all his life because he feared going to hell. Would the Saint let him in all the same; or send him down without a parachute?

Fear.

It was Friday once again, and Father Ignatius took the Catechism Class at the local Catholic School.

He noticed the children were somewhat subdued and not as perky and chatty as always.

“Is everything OK today?” he asked, “you have never been so quiet … or am I going slightly deaf in my old age?”

They smiled quietly and said nothing at first, then one of them hesitated “have you not heard Father … the school is being inspected tomorrow and we will all have to sit an English test and a Mathematics test set by the inspectors … no one knows what is in the tests …

“Our form teacher, Miss Farthing, said that if we don’t do well compared to the National Average, it will cause repercussions for the school and ourselves …”

“I understand you concerns …” said the priest gently.

“It’s more than concerns …” said another pupil, “we’re afraid and worried out of our minds … no one told us of these tests until a few minutes ago …”

“And what have you done about it?” asked the priest maintaining his gentle tone of voice.

“What can we do?” replied another child, “we’ve been told they’re new national tests and even Miss Farthing doesn’t know what is involved.”

“All right …” continued Father Ignatius, “let’s spend the next few minutes on these tests … no Catechism class today …

“First of all … don’t let your fears guide you; but allow God to do so.

“You have all done various English and Mathematics tests before … and these tests tomorrow, no matter how new and no matter how different, they will only involve material which you have already been taught. I doubt very much the inspectors will test material not on the national curriculum. The tests may be new but not the subjects which you have been taught.

“So do some quick revision … nothing too long and too thorough … just general stuff which you’ve been taught so far and do your best tomorrow.

“The reason you have been given so little time to prepare is deliberate … the inspectors do this to test a whole class at a given point in time with no prior warning. They do this in every school … so you’ll be no different to anyone else.”

He stopped for a while to check they’d calmed down a little.

“And now, if I may … a word or two about fear …

“Often in life we are faced with seemingly insoluble problems. So our first instincts are to work hard at finding a solution … we struggle … we worry … and we fear what may happen next.

“And in our fears and struggles we forget that God has the answer.

“There is no problem, however inconceivable it might be, which may come to us in life which God has not met before. And if God has met it … He sure has the answer and the solution.

“I am not talking just about English or Mathematics tests here … but any problems that you may face as you grow up and become responsible adults … any problems at all … faithfully hand them to God.

“Pray to God and trust Him to show you the way ahead. He wouldn’t be an omnipotent all-knowing God otherwise.

“Our hesitation to hand over our problems to Him, is itself a problem of our own making – not His

“So I repeat what I said earlier … do not let your fears guide you, but allow God to do so.”

He stopped as he physically noticed they’d regained confidence in themselves and their abilities. He led them in prayer that they would do well and allowed them to spend the rest of the afternoon revising English and Mathematics.