Be Not Afraid

First reading	Isaiah 41:13-20

I, the Holy One of Israel, am your redeemer

I, the Lord, your God,

I am holding you by the right hand;

I tell you, ‘Do not be afraid,

I will help you.’

Do not be afraid, Jacob, poor worm,

Israel, puny mite.’

I will help you – it is the Lord who speaks –

the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer.

See, I turn you into a threshing-sled,

new, with doubled teeth;

you shall thresh and crush the mountains,

and turn the hills to chaff.

You shall winnow them and the wind will blow them away,

the gale will scatter them.

But you yourself will rejoice in the Lord,

and glory in the Holy One of Israel.

The poor and needy ask for water, and there is none,

their tongue is parched with thirst.

I, the Lord, will answer them,

I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.

I will make rivers well up on barren heights,

and fountains in the midst of valleys;

turn the wilderness into a lake,

and dry ground into waterspring.

In the wilderness I will put cedar trees,

acacias, myrtles, olives.

In the desert, I will plant juniper,

plane tree and cypress side by side;

so that men may see and know,

may all observe and understand

that the hand of the Lord has done this,

that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

We live in a crazy world, that is a statement that needs no defense. In France, they suffered yet another terrorist attack where innocent people were put to the sword while enjoying some time with family and friends at a Christmas market.  In my hometown of Chicago, brother kills brother in gunfights that would have appalled gunslingers of the old west at the hatred and violence that they display.  An innocent child, asleep in her bed was riddled with five bullets fired by a stranger at her from her bedroom window.  Men and women with money sacrifice their souls in pursuing chemical highs that take their mind off of their prosperity and to help propel themselves into despair and poverty.  We fear the city, we fear the small town, we fear the lonely countryside for man is man's worst enemy and he is a predator in all of these places.  What are we to do?

The Lord tells us to not be afraid, He hears us and He hears our prayers, he sees our poverty, he feels our fears.  He is ready to move His arm and change everything in a heartbeat in the desert of our heart is ready to sow a forest of good and to help us bear fruit and to build up His kingdom.  He waits for us to turn to Him and say, "Father, I have sinned. treat me as a hired hand." Yet, when we turn to Him, He will treat us as a prince of the land, as an heir to His fortune and nothing will be too good for us.  The evil things, He will defeat and change what is bad into things that are good. His love will fill our hearts and with joy, we will drink at a place where at one time there was only dust and dry sand.  We will eat the fruit of the land at a place where at one time there were only brambles, weeks, and thickets.  We will be refreshed body and soul and God's life will flow through our veins and we will know a happiness that no power can ever take from us.  Be not afraid young warrior, God is with us and for us forever. 

Here is a golden oldie Advent hymn for you: