Homily delivered by Bishop Ness F. Ongtioco, D.D. during the Healing Mass for the former Pres. Cory Aquino at the St. Joseph Perpetual Adoration Convent on May 3, 2008 at 6 p.m.
Ascension Sunday: Freedom from Fear Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. Forty-days after his resurrection from the dead, Jesus returns to the Father. In front of his tired and fearful disciples, Jesusascends to heaven. They felt uncertain and afraid. They were not sure what would happen now that their Lord and teacher sis not with them anymore. Looking back at their past was already traumatic. How much more their future and what awaits them? Their hope for the future seems shrouded in the dark clouds of uncertainty and sagging hope.
We resemble the Apostles on the Mount of Olives just after the Ascension. The clouds had taken Jesus from them. They were dazed, uncertain and unsure of what to do and how to do it. But the message is the same. The words of the angel, "Why do you stand there staring inyo the air... The task given to you is urgent... and Jesus shall return to you to find out just how well you have performed... so do not be afraid and troubled but do arise and go from here to impossible dreams."
If there are words Jesus repeated so many times, it is the statement "Do not be afraid." He might have said them in different times and ways, in different situations and to different people, but clearly, Jesus believed that fear was a serious challenge in the lives of many people. If the Lord was alive today and walking our streets, he would still be saying the same thing: "Fear not!" "Be not anxious!" "Do not be afraid!" We all have our questions to the difficult things that happen in our lives but what about the answers?
You and I need those answers today just as much as the Apostles needed them then. You may be certain that everyone here, one way or, another, faces the problem of fear. We will never be rid of it completely, and indeed we should not. In a world such as ours, some fears can serve a useful and constructive purpose. We need to cultivate and keep a healthy fear. Fear of ignorance can lead to educational advancement. A fear of sickness can give rise to habits of personal hygiene and proper medical care. Fear is not our absolute enemy. Like fire, it can be a useful servant but a terrible master. What we need to learn is to control our fears so that they cease to be a dominant and destructive force in our lives. So look with me for a moment at Christ's answer to the to the problem of fear. In fact there are three important things that Jesus did with regard to fear in his disciples.
The first thing Jesus did for his disciples was to bring the reason for their fear into the open. In the verses just prior to our reading, He clearly spelled out some of the dangers they would face along the way. It seems strange that He was telling them they would be arrested, beaten, misunderstood, lied about, and possibly even put to death. Then almost in the same breath He told them not to be afraid, that the hidden things would be revealed and that they could help to shine the light of truth into the dark corners of life they had been afraid to look at. Many of our fears are like that unfounded and unreal. We're not even sure what they are; we've never bothered to define them. They're just shadowy forms that float around on the edges of our minds. What we need to do is bring that fearful thing into focus. Get it out in the open where we can see it and deal with it. So Jesus told His disciples the truth. They faced a future that was fraught with all kinds of danger. There was no denying it, but it was better to know than to wonder. The first step in handling any fear is to get it out in the open where you can see it. If it's imaginary it will vanish. If it's real, at least you can see it and deal with it.
Second, Jesus challenges his disciples by saying "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven." This verse also has application to the problem of fear. Acknowledging or denying Christ is not just a religious matter: it's a practical matter of daily living. There is, of course, more than one way to deny our Lord. We could do it verbally like Simon Peter, but more commonly we do it by what we are and how we live. This, I think, is what Jesus had in mind. He was telling His disciples to remain true to the highest and best that is within them. And this is absolutely essential in any life that would rise above and conquer the problem of fear. You see what I am trying to say, my friends. At our best, we all desire a life that is courageous and strong and rises above fear. There is nothing much better that any one of us could possess than to go out every morning unafraid to look any person in the face and to sleep every night with no sense of apprehension and anxiety. One condition of that is imperative: a life that is real and true, a life that is loyal to the very best within us, even Christ Himself. There is a verse in the Old Testament that says, "The wicked man runs when no one is chasing him, but the righteous is as bold as a lion."
Lastly, Christ's answer to fear has primarilt to do with faith. He talked to His disciples about the sparrows, pointing out that they were virtually worthless in the eyes of men. But then He said, "Not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge." Then He added, "As for you, every hair of your head has been counted; so do not be afraid of anything. You are worth more than many sparrows." The ultimate answer to fear is faith: faith not as a theoretical belief but as a deep convistion that ourlives are not in the careless hands of some impersonal fate, but are rather in the caring hands of a loving Father. Once that idea takes hold of a person's mind, it puts the support needed under his life that no amount of danger, real real or imagined, can destroy.
We come together today and offer this Eucharist for former president Corazon Aquino. We all know her role in the history of our battle for freedom and democracy in our country. Now she fights a battle of her own. It is a battle not only against life and death but also against fear and faith. We all know she is a woman of great faith. And, because of that, she will be triumphant. We already claim victory on her behalf. Not only because we are certain of it but also because we join our faith as a community with hers. For all of us, family and friends, of Corazon Aquino, we feel the fear of what a serious illness like cancer can do. Faced with the power of fear, let the power of our faith be our rampart and shield, our oasis in the desert and shelter amidst the storm.
If our answer to faith is "yes," if this is our God who and what we really are, then we can lift our heads and turn our faces toward life, and shout with the Apostle Paul, "If God be for us, then what difference does it matter who or what is against us?" That, my friends, is the ultimate and only final answer to fear.
The late gospel singer, Ethel Waters, had a favorite Gospel song and adopted it as her theme when she, too, struggled with a serious illness. She sang it in concerts around the world. Part of the lyrics go like this: "Why should I be discouraged? Why should the shadows come? Why should my heart be lonely and long for heaven and home. When Jesus is my portion? A constant friend is He. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me." When you go out of this Chapel today and see a sparrow or a flower, remember God is watching over and cares for that little bird or that simple flower; and you are more important to Him than all of the birds in the world. If you ever get hold that idea, you will have found Christ's answer to fear. Amen.
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