Boy, at this moment in my life is the following ever music to my
ears:
EXTRAORDINARY FORM, HOMILIES
4TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
JUNE 21, 2015 FATHER ACERVO
Although the readings in the Ordinary Form and Extraordinary
Form this Sunday are different from each other, they both touch on a similar
theme: Jesus scolds His followers for being afraid and for not trusting in His
Power.
Jesus says, “cast your nets”, but Peter protests. We’ve labored
all night. We did this and we did that and nothing has happened. It was only
when they did as the Lord had commanded them to do that they made their catch.
The problem with us is that we always think we know better than
God. If things don’t go the way that we think they should go, God is obviously
making a mistake or He’s powerless.
This can especially be a temptation for us whenever we think
about all of the suffering and evil that happens in the world. We know that
there are a lot of bad things going on in the world today. Maybe we’re even
struggling with some trials in our own lives. The temptation is to ask, “Where
is God?” Why doesn’t He care? Doesn’t He care that there is violence? Doesn’t
He care that there is terrorism? Doesn’t He care about what is happening to
marriage and the family? Doesn’t He care that I’m sick or someone that I love
is sick? Doesn’t He care that my children have fallen away from the faith?
Doesn’t He care that there are so many who are poor and suffering?
Jesus, of course, does care, and He rebukes His followers of not
having faith in Him. But not only that: He rebukes them for being afraid. You see, where there is no faith, there is fear. And
where there is fear, there is an easy target for the devil. Show me a disciple
who is afraid, and I’ll show you a disciple who is ineffective.
Now, fear is a natural reaction. It’s understandable that there
is some reluctance on Peter’s part when Jesus ask Him to cast his nets once
again. But this wasn’t the only time that Peter and the other Apostles lacked
in trust despite seeing the miracles and healings that Jesus performed. And so
Jesus admonishes them because of it. If you believed in me and really knew who
I am, you would have faith in me, and if you had faith in me, you would not be
afraid.
Fear, as I said, is a natural human emotion. It’s a natural
reaction to danger. Often times, it might prevent us from being reckless in the
face of a real danger. Where fear becomes a problem is when it paralyzes us or
when it robs us of joy, which often happens when we don’t trust in God. In our
own lives, no matter what our vocation might be, whether we are a priest, or
nun, or married person, or consecrated person, there will be trials and even
the occasional crisis. God never said that following Him would guarantee a life
of smooth sailing. But when these trials come up in our own personal life, when
the world around us seems to be falling apart, this is not because God is
asleep at the wheel. It is not because God doesn’t care. It is not because God
is powerless or incompetent. Often times, these difficulties are nothing more
than tests – opportunities to make the right choice. Opportunities to persevere
and not take the easy way out.
So understanding this helps us when we’re trying to deal with
the problem of suffering and evil either in the world or in our own lives.
Suffering and evil are not good things, of course. But they test our faith.
They test our willingness to persevere. And if we approach it in the right way,
it can actually strengthen our faith and increase our joy.
When we find ourselves afraid or lacking in faith, a good thing
to do is to pray for the virtue of fortitude. Fortitude is one of the cardinal
virtues. It is the virtue that allows us to stand firm in the face of
difficulties. It strengthens our resolve to resist temptation. The Catechism
tells us that fortitude “enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and
to face trials and persecutions. It disposes one even to renounce and sacrifice
his life in defense of a just cause.”[1]The
fortitude of the martyrs was off the charts. I love the story of St. Lawrence.
Legend has it that he was literally grilled to death. And as he was lying on
the gridiron, his flesh roasting, he said, “turn me over, I’m done on this
side”.
Why do we want to overcome fear? Because we want to be joyful.
Pope Francis said that Christian communities become “sick” when they live in
fear and fail to be joyful – even when times are difficult. This applies to
individuals as well. He said,
“A Christian without joy is not Christian. A Christian who
continually lives in sadness is not Christian. And a Christian who, in the
moment of trial, of illness, of so many difficulties, loses peace – something
is lacking in him.” What is lacking is an understanding of who Jesus is and
what His messages say to us.
Why do we want to overcome fear? Because we want to be effective
disciples. The Apostles would never be effective fishers of men as long as they
continued to be burdened by fear or a lack of trust.
Again, Pope Francis says, “Do not be afraid. Ask for the grace
of courage” so that when time seem to be tough, we can remain joyful knowing
that the Lord is near.
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