“Do not be afraid”

Do not be afraid.” These are among the most consoling words found throughout Sacred Scripture. It is often said that the Bible contains 366 invitations from God to “fear not”—one for every day of the year, even for a leap year. Whether the number is exact or symbolic, the truth remains: God knows the human heart. He knows our anxieties, our uncertainties, and our fears. Therefore, He constantly reassures us: “Do not be afraid, for I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10).

Fear could either imprison the soul in anxiety or become, by God’s grace, the very means through which courage is born. Prophet Jeremiah faced rejection, ridicule, alienation, and even threats to his life. Humanly speaking, he had every reason to abandon his mission. Yet he declares with remarkable confidence: “The Lord is at my side, a mighty hero” (Jeremiah 20:11). Jeremiah discovered that courage is not the absence of fear; rather, courage is trusting in God’s presence in the midst of fear. What sustained him was his conviction that the Lord fought beside him.

The same assurance is given by Jesus to His disciples in the Gospel: “Do not be afraid” (Matthew 10:26, 28, 31). The disciples were ordinary men—simple fishermen and labourers entrusted with the extraordinary mission of proclaiming the Kingdom of God. They would encounter persecution, misunderstanding, and suffering. Yet Jesus does not promise them an easy road. Instead, He promises His abiding presence.

Foremost, Our Lord gently reminds them of their dignity before the father: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your father’s knowledge… You are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29, 31). God knows us intimately. He knows our joys and wounds, our victories and failures. As the Psalmist says, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me” (Psalm 139:1).

Jesus then teaches a deeper understanding of fear. “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Matthew 10:28). He invites us to cultivate not worldly fear, but the fear of the Lord—one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that this filial fear is a loving reverence before God’s majesty and goodness (CCC 1831). This holy fear is beautifully described in the Book of Sirach: “The fear of the Lord is glory and exultation, gladness and a crown of rejoicing” (Sirach 1:11). It delights the heart, gives joy and peace, and is “the beginning of wisdom” (Sirach 1:14).

Far from diminishing us, reverence for God elevates us. It teaches us humility, fidelity, and trust. Saint John Paul II, at the beginning of his pontificate, said: “do not be afraid! open wide the doors for Christ... do not be afraid, Christ knows ‘what is in man’. He alone knows it.” Fear closes hearts; Christ opens them. Fear isolates; Christ unites. Fear looks only at obstacles; faith beholds God’s providence.

My dear friends, whatever fears weigh upon your heart today—fear of illness, of failure, of the future, or even of witnessing boldly to your faith—hear again the voice of Christ: “Do not be afraid.” Trust in the Lord who knows every hair on your head and never abandons His children.

May we therefore seek the wisdom that comes from fearing the Lord, stand firm in faith as Saint Paul exhorts us: “For now we live, if you stand firm in the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 3:8), and echo the words of the Psalmist: “I have made the Lord God my refuge” (Psalm 73:28).

For when the Lord is our refuge, fear no longer has the final word. Christ does.

God bless you.