October is here and with it comes some of my most favorite things… pumpkin spice, a month to honor Our Lady in the Rosary, changing leaves, cardigan sweaters, boots and the feast day of St. John Paul II. When I think of SJPII, I am reminded of two of his beautiful prayers - “Totus Tuus” and “Be Not Afraid.”
Early in the book of Genesis, we see that once the evil one succeeded in deceiving Adam and Eve, they immediately began to live in fear. Before the fall, the garden and everything in it was beautiful, in complete harmony, safe and secure. All of creation belonged to the first man and his wife. Once the evil one infiltrated their sanctuary and whispered his lies into their hearts and minds, he was able to use his allure to convince them to be distrustful of God. Adam and Eve, in this deception, ate of the forbidden fruit and their immediate reaction was to hide. Their hiding was a result of their fear. They were afraid of God.
When God asked where they were, their response was a foreshadowing of the fear, mistrust, trepidation and anxiety which now plagues our humanity. The fall from grace had consequences which we are still experiencing today. But as we heard throughout the pontificate of St. John Paul II, we must not be afraid because we are totally His. He tells us:
“Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I (Jesus) am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well. Do this in complete faith and confidence.”
As I have grown in my faith, I have come to understand and believe in the faithfulness and promises of Jesus. He desires that I unite myself fully to Him and to do that, I must trust Him… I must not be afraid, especially when that means taking a leap of faith. I may not always know how things will turn out or where I will land, but I do know that Jesus will be awaiting my landing with arms wide open and ready to catch me if I should fall. He is a God of love and everything about Him is love. His Word is love and He tells me that I am loved unto eternity, so why would He desire anything but good for my life? He speaks in the Sacred Scriptures plainly and simply…
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
By connecting my heart to His, my trust and confidence in Who He is leads me to know Whose I am. I can, with complete conviction, know that I am totally His and I am not afraid. John Paul is right… I must not be afraid because I am the beloved of God. He loves me and He fought the forces of evil for me. He died and rose from the dead for me so that I can have eternal life with Him, for all eternity, in Heaven.
“It is the LORD who goes before you; he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8
That is a powerful promise and one that I rest on.
Nicky Verna, Copyright 2024
The devil greated fear to destroy our hope. I constantly have to renounce his/that lie and replace it with God’s powerful promise, “Do not be afraid…” many times and out loud!