Fr Jim Cogley
Fear is a universal emotion. No generation in history has ever been exempt. It’s as old as Adam where his first recorded words were ‘I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself’. Fear is genetic and part of our human nature. Various studies suggest that our seven greatest areas of fear are these: 1) finances 2) health 3) career 4) parenting struggles 5) family relationships 6) accomplishing personal goals 7) death. In one major US study the fear of public speaking surprisingly ranked way above the fear of dying. Fear can be a positive in that it can protect us from danger, but it can equally be a destructive force in our life. One old English word for fear means ‘sudden attack’. This is close to an old German word for fear that means ambush or snare. Both are very descriptive in that fear attacks us and takes us captive. The only answer is, it’s opposite, which is faith. If fear imprisons then faith liberates. If fear paralyzes, then its faith that empowers. If fear discourages, faith empowers. Fear will sicken while faith will heal. In the scriptures ‘fear not’ is a divine command that occurs more often than any other.