Sunday June 21: Do Not Be Afraid

Audubon Society, Joseph Blowers, Barn Swallow

The Lord is with me. …
Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord,
for God has rescued the life of the needy
from the power of the wicked!
- Jeremiah 20:11, 13

Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. … Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without the Beloved’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
- Matthew 10:26-28a, 29-31

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Some may believe that hatred is the opposite of love, and that may be their experience in emotionally charged situations. But there is a greater context to explore; a fuller experience of love sourced from the nature of God, “for God is love (agape)” (I John 4:8). This agape, this love-in-action that is God, is unconditional, incapable of hatred, overflowing in goodness and mercy. It holds no grudges, nurtures no resentments, seeks no revenge. It grasps at nothing, offers everything through self-emptying, without concern for its own diminishment. It simply extends this love to all who turn to notice it. And this love is completely without fear. John’s first letter tells us that this “perfect love drives out fear” (v. 18). So perhaps, at our human level, fear is love’s opposite.

Today’s scripture passages remind us of our higher calling. In today’s Gospel, Jesus counsels, “Do not be afraid …”, and in the first reading Jeremiah sings of God’s sustaining presence enveloping the poor in spirit, however difficult their lot. How do we ground these truths in our own spiritual practice, both during the time of prayer and in our daily trek with people, tasks, difficulties and societal instability?

We practice letting go, just as our Centering Prayer practice calls us to let go of anything other than God during those sacred 20- to 30-minute intervals of silence and solitude. This is a prayer of deep inner freedom, where we practice letting go of even our deepest worries and difficulties. A prayer where God reassures us: “I am all you need.” Yes, the homemade self wants to hoard its little treasures—exaggerate its demands for security, control, approval. But our contemplative practices help us gently let go of those piled-up trinkets and rely on Spirit. We gain a wider perspective on our legitimate concerns in life and, more and more, we find ourselves free to practice that boundless, practical agape love - to accept our sisters and brothers as they are and to more wisely and lovingly respond, despite any fear that still needs loosening up.

Through the channels that our practices help to open, we can come to disregard both thoughts during prayer and those fears that hold back God’s agape love flowing through us. The fruits and gifts of the Spirit are alive with us, available to be shared.

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“The ego is the ultimate hoarder. It hangs on to everything. We hoard our entitlements: I am rich, I am educated, I am a person of authority. We hoard our principles and ideologies; we hoard our self-justifications and our resentments. We use all these things to line the nest of our fragile sense of selfhood.

“But Jesus sets himself against any kind of hoarding. He teaches a path of radical non-clinging. He says in effect, “Don’t clench your fist. Open your hands.” The world is abundant and provident beyond belief, and what flows through it is a coherence, a beauty, a life force that is a direct expression of the heart of God.

“For Jesus, the world is suffused with the glory of divine tenderness and providence. …. Whenever we go into any kind of braced position—clinging, defending, self-justifying, insisting—it immediately makes us spiritually blind. [These behaviors] cut us off from the whole and we can no longer see the abundance that’s flowing right there.”
- Cynthia Bourgeault, “The Divine Exchange,” CAC Daily Meditations for June 10, 2026

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“The fact that we experience anxiety and annoyance is the certain sign that, in the unconscious, there is an emotional program for happiness that has just been frustrated.”
- Thomas Keating, The Human Condition: Contemplation and Transformation

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• Listen to the Flowers is a four-minute video (which you can find here) of the beauties of springtime nature at Weston Priory in Vermont. There is no text, just a musically accompanied panorama of the monastery’s grounds. Let yourself be immersed in, and surrounded by, the sights and sounds of this video. Notice the detail that you see in the absence of narration. You might wish to journal this experience. How does it prepare you to listen with an unconditionally open heart to the people and situations that surround you?

• Mindfully go through a day, taking note of those who might offend or hurt you in some way. What fears play in you, and what fears might be operating in them? Now try to see them through God’s all-loving eyes. Does anything change? Practice the Welcoming Prayer with any sensations from afflictive emotions.

• Choose a news article detailing some current conflict or tragedy. Prayerfully think through the layers of the situation. Beneath the surface of anger and even hatred or grief or revenge, what fears may be motivating the situation here? Before your next session of Centering Prayer, recall this experience in Light and Love.

• Consider memorizing a favorite passage or canticle from the Bible or other inspirational source and repeat it when hesitation or fear keep you from living agape love. For example, Jeremiah 17:7-8. Or write your own short reminder of the Spirit’s protective love for you.

• You may listen to the audio recording of today’s reflection here (about 15 minutes long).

• Please share your reflections and comments, or you can “like” using the heart icon. Post prayer requests here. By clicking on the Subscribe link, you can receive email notifications when someone posts a prayer request.

• Starts this Monday, June 22: an e-course offered by Contemplative Outreach in partnership with Spirituality & Practice, “The Transformation of Suffering”. Go here to read more and register. 6 CEUs for chaplains are available, as are scholarships.
  

There are three live Word of the Week prayer groups meeting weekly to support your journey. Each prayer group has a slightly different reflection excerpt, therefore some participants attend more than one. You can use this time zone converter to assist in calculating the prayer groups in your local time.

• Tuesday, 9:00-10:00 AM Eastern (New York) Time (UTC/GMT offset -5 hours)

• Wednesday, 6:00-7:00 PM Eastern (New York) Time (UTC/GMT offset -5 hours)

For these two groups, use this link to join OR click-on “join meeting,” and enter meeting ID 445 909 4698. When prompted for a passcode, use COL.

• Thursday, 8:00-9:00 AM Eastern (New York) Time (UTC/GMT offset -5 hours). This groups meets on Meditation Chapel in the Wisdom Chapel. Use this link to join the group. Be sure to register with Meditation Chapel here if you are not already.

Additional opportunities to support your silent prayer practice and spiritual journey are offered in The Meditation Chapel, a Zoom-enabled, worldwide meditation community. All groups are free and open to all. Read more about groups on The Meditation Chapel here.