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Writer's pictureNathalie

Fear not, He is risen

Updated: Apr 13, 2020








We’re all in a moment wherever we might be, regardless of ones status, fears. I was taught in college that the greatest fear is the unknown, used to believe that, but is it really the “unknown”?, if so, how can we fear what we do not know? If things are taking us by surprise we say, “oh I didn’t saw it coming” we don’t get scared do we? Simply because we don’t know, so that means we don’t fear the unknown but we fear the probability of the reality of an outcome that we don’t like, so maybe it’s safe to say that we know what we fear it’s just that we only try not to confront it?

It’s been almost 4 months I think, it’s getting clearer this pandemic is beyond us, there are lessons it has been teaching me but I’d like to focus on some.


First,


To those who doesn’t believe in God, I hope you do now, when something happens such as huge as this we get to see our littleness and our human limitations, if I’m little there must be something big, If I’m limited there must be someone who is limitless. For one to claim one is limited that means one tried to its full ability yet fails therefore acknowledges that he lacks, that’s why we say I am limited. There’s a point of reference that means both exists.


To be able to acknowledge it, one must need to resign oneself from its own therefore requires humility. That’s second.


Third,


That God doesn’t punish us. I am happy to see people finally seeing God, it tears my heart that it has to be this way, but I think, it’s the only way, isn’t it? Everything that we do has its consequences, there’s natural law, eating for example, if I eat then I’ll be full, if I don’t eat I’ll be hungry. God doesn’t want this, He wants a life of abundance in us and that is a life with Him. This is our consequence for living our life away from Him, that’s us sinning. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a letter for condemnation for I am to be condemned. Rather this is I think of knowing what sin really is, surely it’s bound morally but it’s more than just morals here, sinning is us deliberately not choosing God. It’s us breaking the heart of our Good Father, Who loves us endlessly, us sinning is us wounding His heart.


Going back to fear, I hope now you do agree that fear comes not from not knowing which is the unknown but the probability of the things we don’t want, something that we cannot runaway from, truth.


The truth that is being stripped in this pandemic is the uncertainty of life and the certainty of death. It’s an eye opener to a reality that we all know and yet we keep on setting aside, we all have our reasons and that’s another story. The removing of the veil allowed us to see the things that really matters in life.


God slowed us down, He gave us the time we denied from ourselves and that is looking at our hearts. What is my heart full of? Perhaps, God gave us silence so we can hear our restless hearts.


Fourth,


I hope that when we’re able to see of who we really are, I pray that we won’t shrink on despair to see our own miseries but to know that God is merciful, Jesus told St. Faustina, I am Love and Mercy Itself. May we always remember and believe that. Jesus even told her that, the greatest sin we can commit is the thought that our sins are unforgivable. Jesus compared His love to the vastness of the ocean and our sins no matter how grave, is but a drop in that ocean of mercy.


Those words from our Lord gave me hope. I hope you too will dare to hope and never doubt the limitless and unfathomable love and mercy of God. Jesus rose from the dead, He defeated death so we may not fear it. As Christians we believe in the resurrection, we believe that death is not an end but only the beginning of another life for all Eternity.


The greatest fear therefore is not in not knowing, therefore we fear on something of what we know, we fear because we know the probability of an outcome depends on the level of our cooperation. When we’re pressed in, it boils into our unpreparedness on our end, and that’s what scares us.


This is not a threat but a proposition to take this moment to seriously look into our lives and see where we’re at. Have we gone far away from our Father? And if so, He is lovingly waiting for us, just like how He ran towards His prodigal son coming back home to Him, how He leaves the 99 for that one lost sheep, that’s how crazy, madly and deeply inlove God is to us, His creation.

Seeing my own miseries and my deep root inclination to sin repulses me from the thought of that love God has for me, but whenever I set my eyes on the cross of my King crucified, I cannot fully comprehend how can He gave up His life for me, I mean why? There can be no other reason but LOVE, He must have such an immense love to give up His life for me. And that love, that sacrificial love is what draws me to love Him back. He gave Himself freely to me and so I must give myself freely to the One Who has given it all to me and for me.


So to us, who only have NOW, may we turn our hearts back to the Lord. And remember that we are the Easter people, we are redeemed therefore we should be the people of joy, that’s what it means when we say “the joy of the Gospel” because of the good news it brings! That no matter how dark and taunting life throws at us- Jesus conquered it for us! He gave up His life in a terrible, shameful death to gain the trust of His creation.


This may not be the Easter Sunday we had hoped for, certainly not the Easter we got used to but this is what our Good Lord willed for us. This Easter will never be forgotten and we’re all a part of this history that God in His goodness allowed us to partake in, so we thank Him in all circumstances as St. Paul teaches us.


As my heart is battling to be sad with all the things that’s going on around me, I am asking the grace to be joyful amidst it all, not that I am indifferent to the pains of the world but joyful on the truth of the Gospel that He is with me (us) until the very end. He is here too, that truth gives me courage to hope against hope. No matter how hard things might get, my King Whom I killed by my sins rose again from the dead and redeemed me, meets me right where I’m at and says He loves me. That’s my joy because I am resting safe in the Sacred Heart of my Lord Jesus Christ. Fear not, He is risen!


Happy Easter! May the joy of the Gospel burn in our hearts.




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