troubled or afraid

Acts 14:19-28; Ps 145 YOur friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom; John 14:27-31

These are the words of Christ spoken at the Last Supper to his closest friends, those who would take the lead in spreading the massage, "Do not let hearts be troubled or afraid."

What does it look like to  surrender, to finally let yourself be one over by grace, A heart that is neither troubled or afraid.

IT seems on every turn of the page of the gospel, Jesus is continually giving "peace" to his disciples and those he encounters; on every page that peace is associated with the invitation to "be not afraid."

What is it about the human heart and mind that needs to be continually reminded of that reality? Why do we often forget and thus open our hearts to fear?

How quickly we set aside the peace we receive!

How quickly we get caught up in the external noise of living, the external noise of complaints and pressure and fears and anxiety and doubt.

The great nemesis of the human condition of tens greets us that fear of failure abounds stealing our joy and suffocating our peace.

As St JoseMaria Escriva points out, "How we let our affairs buzz around in our heads" and trouble our hearts.  What is the solution?  HE suggest that we "try to establish times for interior silence and thus we guard our external and internal senses."

Only then can we truly begin to look at things with "supernatural perspective."

Just a peak into the first reading.
The early church struggles to convince the masses of the truth of Christ and the gospel.
As the reading begins, "some Jews arrived and own over the crowds.  THey stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city...but he got up and entered the city."

He continued to proclaim the good news anyway.

The gospel isn't always popular; the crowds will often bulk against it.
Proclaim it anyway.