Faith Over Fear

A Reflection on the Second Reading for February 13th, 2022:
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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1 Corinthians
15.12, 16-20

If Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead?

For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished.

If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
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Faith is strong and unwavering; it is eternal. The Lord expects great faith from us, in this life and the next. Faith in His goodness and power, and faith in His amazing love for us. 

I must admit, I do not always possess this strong faith that God is more than deserving of. It can be difficult to maintain such amazing faith while life is filled with anxieties, fears, and doubts. However, through my failures in faith, I have learned that the one thing that will always help me over the hurdles in anxieties, fear, and doubt, is faith itself; faith that God will provide through every step of the way. 

This past December, I was finishing up my first semester of my master’s program with various exams and assignments. At my core, I believe that I am meant to be in this program by the Lord’s intention. I know that He has set a strong fire in my heart for my future work and the opportunity to serve others after my schooling is finished. Although I know this to be true, I put my anxieties ahead of my faith leading up to that final exam period, when I should have been focusing on the complete opposite. I allowed for my anxiety to take over to the point of physical sickness and constant worrying thoughts. Though my faithful family surrounding me tried their best to reassure me that the Lord wouldn’t allow me to fail because this is His plan for my life, I would not release myself from the burden of anxiousness. 

Leading up to my first final exam, I was full of doubt — in myself, and by not exercising my faith, doubt in God as well. But, the morning of my exam, I pleaded with the Lord to be with me throughout the test and show me that He would provide… and did He ever. When I entered the testing room, I prayed one last prayer and told God that I placed all of my faith into His hands. In that moment, I felt a wave of warmth and calm rush over me, and I knew He was with me. There were even moments during the exam when I found myself smiling and thanking God for the opportunity to learn things I am so passionate about and that I would eventually serve others with. 

After I shifted my focus and priorities to faith rather than fear and anxiety, I experienced the most calm and confident exam period to date. Although it was still stressful, I had full belief and knowledge that the Lord would help me to do the best that I could. The power of faith in the Lord will never fail you. He is always there, we must simply desire and expect Him to be present. 

Though I don’t have all the answers, and am likely to have more unfortunate failures of faith at some point in the future, I know that God will always provide when I ask. I pray that I may ask the Lord to keep my faith strong and unwavering for the rest of my days. Amen.




​Megan Noye
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