In the Moment

A Reflection on the First Reading for September 5th, 2021:
Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

---

Isaiah
35.4-7

Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
“Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.”
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water.
​

Be strong, do not fear! I don’t know a single person who doesn’t need to hear these words. This has been such a challenging couple of years for all of us. Besides the obvious looming struggle with the pandemic and its accompanying issues, I don’t know anyone who hasn’t experienced additional challenges. That’s life in some ways — the pandemic has in many ways amplified those challenges, but they were with us before that.


I remember the first time I heard this exhortation from scripture — be not afraid! I was 16 years old, at a pilgrimage to Rome with over a million other young people as part of World Youth Day. I was there not because of any faith or conviction, but because I loved the idea of a trip to Italy and the related travel. I had been confirmed and was right on track to check out of Church as soon as my parents looked the other way. But there was this trip and it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. So, I kept playing Church so that I could go on the trip. The decision to go on that trip was then followed by chaos in my life. I was hit by a car while crossing the street (which payed for the trip), there was drama at home and at school. Several friends experienced acute depressive episodes. High school was challenging.


I left for Rome tired, overwhelmed, and anxious, but also excited to have this break from everything. I threw myself into the fun as much as I could, but even then was experiencing it from the outside. A new friend pointed out I was taking pictures of everything, but that I wasn’t taking any with me in them. The trip had started out like an out of body experience. I was playing the part of a pilgrim — making new friends, taking the requisite pictures — but wasn’t allowing myself to really be present to the moment.


After a bit of touristy stuff, we went to an event where Pope John Paul II was speaking to the attendees, offering encouragement in various languages. It had been chaotic trying to get there. A few of us didn’t make it into the square but wandered around until we found a spot with a loud speaker. We got there in time to hear his English remarks, which included the powerful declaration, “Do not be afraid!”. I don’t know what it was, but those words disarmed me. They soaked into my very soul. It was in that moment that I was afraid of everything — being hurt, losing the people I loved, allowing myself to be free, allowing myself to let God in. When the Pope said those words, I began my journey to listening, and later believing in God. They changed me from the outside in. Ever since then, when I face the ordinary and extraordinary challenges of life, I try to face them in the spirit of that moment. God, through His servant, invited me to be free of fear. May I always have the courage to live in that moment.




Stephanie Potter

---