Faith, and Not Fear

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, April 23rd, 2023:
​The Third Sunday of Easter

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Acts
2.14, 22-28 ​

When the day of Pentecost had come, Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know — this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law.

“But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’”

It is with no little measure of surprise that I hear in the first reading for this Sunday St. Peter “rais[ing] his voice and address[ing] the crowd,” declaring that Jesus is the “Holy One” of God, raised from the dead. 

How bold he is on this day of Pentecost! How changed he is from the man who, less than nine weeks earlier, was hiding in the shadows, following Jesus “at a distance” (Matthew 26:58), so afraid for his own safety that, when questioned by the enemies of Jesus, “he began to call down curses, and [swearing], ‘I don’t know the man!’” (Matthew 26:74) 

The man.

Fear is a powerful thing. It can overwhelm any of us. It can make us do things we never believed ourselves capable of doing. In matters of life and death, it can make us disown the “Holy One” and relegate Him to the status of “the man.”

It is commonly said that the Bible tells us 365 times not to be afraid. Even though the number is apparently closer to 150 times, the point here is that we need to remind ourselves every day of the year not to be afraid. Why? Because we are fearful! It is in our nature to be fearful at times, and the only thing that drives out fear is perfect love (1 John 4:18). Jesus is perfect love. Without His strength, we will always be enthralled to fear.

Jesus knows the power of fear in our lives. He brings it to our attention on the eve of His crucifixion when, at the Last Supper, He tells Peter that he will deny Jesus three times. Jesus is not accusing Peter here. He is inviting Peter to acknowledge his innate weakness, his susceptibility to acting out of fear. He is telling Peter that there are some fears human beings cannot face down on their own. 

I am like Peter. I imagine I will be brave. Sometimes I am right but, more often than I care to admit, I am wrong. Fear overwhelms me, and I act out of that place of fear.

That is one of the many reasons I need God. St. Peter in the first reading is a model for me. He shows that when I deny Jesus, I deprive myself of His strength and I face fear alone – and I am not strong enough to do that.

Jesus overcame the greatest fear of all, which is death. That is what ignites in St. Peter a courage that knocks fear off the throne and replaces it with faith. This doesn’t mean that we will never encounter fear. Fear will always pursue us. But when we draw on the strength of the Almighty, we can move past fear and face down death in all its forms: death of reputation, death of joy, death of plenty. It will not conquer us; we will conquer it because Christ has conquered it, and the strength of Christ is ours for the asking.

The grip fear has on us is broken by the outstretched hand of Jesus – praise God! – and we are filled with the gladness of His presence.




Donna Davis

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