Do not be afraid

Do not be afriad.  With these unforgetable words, Blessed John Paul II began his papacy.  For the 27 years that he served as the Successor of Saint Peter, he continually called to people, young and old, to the powerful and the powerless, and encouraged them all: Do not be afraid to live the faith to which you have been called; Do not be afraid to be a disciple of Jesus; Do not be afraid to speak about the wonderful things you have heard and seen - the ways Christ has made himself known to you, the ways he needs you to call others and invite them to follow him as well.

Do not be afraid. It seems that these few words have resonated through the past week, as we have celebrated the Octave of Easter (the eight days beginning with the Day of the Resurrection and ending with the Sunday dedicated to Divine Mercy - tomorrow).  Throughout this week, the scripture passages have presented the various apparitions of Jesus to his disciples, the moments when he strengthened their feeble faith and encouraged them to believe that it was indeed possible for them to speak with courage and conviction about their faith.

The words of Mark's gospel (16:9-15) proposed for the liturgy of this day are a synthesis of the events which have been recounted in the gospel of Luke and John throughout the other days of this Easter Octave: reminders of the significant moments of the week - he appeared first to Mary Magdelene ... she went and told her companions ... He appeared to two of them ... they returned and told the others ...  The theme of discipleship (the one who is chosen and sent) has been repeated throughout the week.  He appeared, he reaffirmed belief, and this belief formed the basis of the proclamation to others.

In time, Peter and John, two of those who had witnessed his apparitions, were strengthened in their faith enough that they boldly spoke even to the elders of the people.  Their courage was born from disbelief, but strengthened and nourished by Jesus who encouraged them: Do not be afraid.

Faith - the gift of God - allowed them to speak boldly, even to the politicians and the powerful of their day, proclaiming to them the power that is made known when one comes to believe, when we are not afraid to speak words born out of belief.  These words ultimately caused even the powerful of the day to question their own convictions.  They agreed not to inflict further punishment, but didn't make it easy for the disciples to continue their proclamations (ffruit doesn't instantly appear on any tree).


More often than not, one of the signs that helps us to be sure that we are doing the work of God is that the words we must speak challenge the comfortable, even as they comfort the disturbed.  This is not always easy to do, because fear can paralyse us, but it helps to remember that the words we speak are not our own.  The gestures of mercy we show to others are motivated out of the ultimate gift of love which was given by Jesus himself, and he himself calls to us in the light of the Resurrection: Do not be afraid ...