Erasing Fear

As I went to bed the other night after re-reading and listening to some news reports of the day, I made a decision.

One of the other social media things I was listening to that night that reinforced my decision was a recording of a homily given by Fr. Joe Krupp at that morning’s Mass.

He was talking about Chapter 3 of the Book of Daniel where the three youths, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were put into a fiery furnace because they refused to honor an idol of King Nebuchadnezzar.

Naturally the king was not happy about their refusing to serve his god or his golden statue, which explains how they ended up in the furnace.  They were saved by God, however, as the flames were driven out of the furnace, replaced by a “dew-laden breeze.”

But here was the line Father emphasized that struck me.  While being threatened with being thrown into the white-hot furnace, the youths responded:

“If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may he save us! But even if he will not, you should know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue which you set up.”

And that brings me to my decision, which I am not making superficially.

Like the three youths, I say, maybe I, or someone in my family, will get the virus.  Maybe they won’t.  But no matter what happens, I will choose how I am going to respond to this virus situation, and that is, I will enjoy every single day God gives me and I will not live it in fear or anxiety.

You see, each day is a gift from God, and I refuse to trade away such a beautiful gift for fear.

I have no clue how things will end for us with this virus.  Maybe we will be spared, maybe be won’t (“May he save us!”) but no matter what, I refuse to worship the god of fear.

We will be cautious.  We will practice “protective distancing” (I heard someone use that as a reminder to her that by keeping a safe distance from others she is protecting her family and others.)

We will do all that we can, but in the end, we will trust like the three youths in the furnace and accept what comes, because we believe in God and it is in him that we place our trust, always.

Does that make sense? 

Who’s with me in this?

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com
janetcassidy.blubrry.net (podcasts)