Do not be afraid
Easter Fervorinos • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 7 viewsThe infant Church had reason for mortal fear. In our anxiety for the Church’s future, we could do worse than to imitate their example, which was so richly rewarded at Pentecost.
Notes
Transcript
These words roll so easily off the tongue
These words roll so easily off the tongue
They are much harder to remember when things get truly difficult.
They are much harder to remember when things get truly difficult.
On the eve of his execution, Jesus reassures the Apostles
On the eve of his execution, Jesus reassures the Apostles
John 16:20
John 16:20
20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.
22 … you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
Paul in Corinth
Paul in Corinth
In the verses just before today’s first reading
Luke recounts
Paul’s failure in Athens
the continual opposition from the synagogue in Corinth.
Then, in today’s passage,
9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”
All this is a microcosm of God’s relationship to the people God calls.
All this is a microcosm of God’s relationship to the people God calls.
God calls people to do things that terrify them
Abram:
Leave the land of your fathers;
go to a land that I will show you
without a clue as to where or how
Gideon
Go, and drive off the Midianites and Amelekites whose swarms oppress Israel.
Oh, and take only 300 men.
I imagine that any of us here could recount the time(s) when we had no idea what to do or how to proceed.
Or, we knew exactly what we had to do, and feared the consequences.
116 Times
116 Times
Do not be afraid appears 116 times in the English Bible; 95 of those were said by God.
14 And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”
Mention the handout.
Whatever the challenges or trials we may face, remember:
Whatever the challenges or trials we may face, remember:
Just before Jesus ascended, he said:
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The Apostles hadn’t said they were afraid, but he must have sensed it,
to reassure them, he reminded them of the promise he had often made.
St Paul, also, speaking about danger and fear, assured the Romans and us:
31 What then shall we say [to these things]? If God is for us, who can be against us?
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Novena to the Holy Spirit.
Novena to the Holy Spirit.
As the Apostles and Disciples waited in the days after Jesus’ ascension; reassured but still afraid, they prayed what has been called the first novena.
13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
until the day of Pentecost.
Novena handout.
