Loud noises, sudden movements, flashes of light, all these scare Baxter. When he gets frightened he usually runs to what he thinks is a safe place. Under the bed is his favorite spot, but if that’s not available, he may run into a closet, under a chair or into a guest room. When he is frightened, he hides. He gets out of sight and keeps silent until he thinks the threat has passed. He tries to disappear thinking that he is safe if no one knows he is around. Somehow, Baxter has concluded that the sights and sounds that frighten him have targeted him. They are out to get him personally, and his only recourse is to run away and hide.
We get frightened as well. In today’s world, reasons to fear seem to fill the news. Shootings in our neighborhoods; Ebola in our hospitals; violence in schools, movie theaters, and malls; tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes; the list goes on and on. They are all threats to our safety and well being, and like Baxter, we want to run and hide from them. We want to find a place where we can’t be touched by these menaces, where we can feel secure and where we can count on people to protect us rather than attack us. We become suspicious of strangers and become reluctant to travel to a strange place or engage in new activities. We wonder whom can we trust and what are the signs of sinister forces around us.
Fear can paralyze us. It keeps us from engaging with each other in open conversations, in playful humor, or in trying new ventures. We revert to the tried and true from the past, and avoid risking our comfort and security in anything new - new people, new ideas, new places, new activities. We play it safe like Baxter by finding a dark, warm, concealed spot to hide, not under the bed, but in our own mind, in our circle of friends, in our habits and routines. Fear shrinks our lives.
In the Gospel, when Jairus approaches Jesus to heal his daughter and while on the way there, some people announce that his daughter has died, Jesus says to Jairus, “Do not fear, only believe.” He says the same to us today. Believe that God is with us despite the terrible things that happen in our world. Believe that the power of goodness which comes from God is greater than any destructive forces we may face. Believe that we can harness this goodness if we come out of our hiding and join together as a community bound in grace to work for God’s Kingdom on earth.
That means we can’t give up. We must tame our imaginations to deal with the threats we face and not allow them to determine our outlook and actions. We need to think about what is possible and work to make it a reality. Not every attempt will give us what we are looking for, but every step will teach us how to live in faith by stepping out of our fear to help others. That is what Jesus did. He refused to listen to the cynics and naysayers, and kept on His course to bring healing and new life. Because of His faith in His Father, Jairus’ daughter lived again and others came to believe.
Faith blots out fear. Instead of hiding, we come forward in the light of Christ to witness to others that God is alive, well and active in our world. We need to show people how this is the case, and keep at it until healing, hope and new beginnings become common place among us. In the trembling, shivering, nervous world we are in today, what a difference this kind of witness would make. The courage of the saint is contagious. Look at Mother Theresa, John Paul II, John XXIII, Martin Luther King, Elizabeth Seton, or Isaac Jogues. Their lives inspired others to move ahead.
So, Baxter, come out from under the bed. What you think may harm you won’t. God is with us. Get going to follow His lead.
