Category: Riccardo, Fr. John

Why not be afraid?

Why shouldn’t we be afraid in fear-provoking situations?

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Sr. DorceeLeave a comment

Today on my way home from dropping one of our sisters at the Ypsi Emmanuel House, I tuned in to Fr. John Riccardo on WDEO.  He mentioned that the most used phrase in the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is “Be not afraid!”  He also pointed out that it was said when the recipients were in pretty scary situations.  Yet, that is the most common thing the Lord says to us.  And, need I say, the most common thing our beloved John Paul II said to us. So, let’s pursue this a bit–why should we not be afraid in a situation that is obviously fear-provoking?

Here’s a little bit of an exercise for you:

  1. Look up one or two of these passages: Luke 1:8-13; Luke 1:26-30; Luke 2:8-11; Isaiah 43:1-5; Matthew 14: 22-27; Matthew 17:1-7; Revelation 1:12-18
  2. Think about the situations which cause you fear.
  3. Based on what God reveals in the passage(s) you read, ponder and write down why you should not be afraid.  Let me point out that it’s natural for us to be afraid in many situations, but why does God tell us to not be afraid?
  4. Feel free to let me (us) know what you find out. (Leave a comment.)
  5. If you’ve got a concordance, look up more passages.