Fear Not 220

Beloved brethren, gathered in the fading light of this evening hour, let us turn our hearts to the words of the prophet Zechariah, who spoke in the days after the return from Babylonian exile: '...do not fear!' (Zechariah 8:15). In that time, the remnant of Israel had come back to a ruined Jerusalem, surrounded by hostile neighbors and trembling at the memory of past judgments. The prophet, inspired by the Spirit, reminded them that the Lord of hosts had turned from wrath to mercy, promising to do good to His people as He had once intended. This was no empty assurance but a call to rebuild the temple and the city with hearts anchored in divine fidelity rather than in the shifting sands of human fear. As I, Augustine of Hippo, preach from this ancient pulpit, I recall how the holy Fathers pondered these oracles. Saint Jerome, in his commentaries on the Minor Prophets, saw Zechariah's vision as a bridge between the old covenant and the new, where the fear of earthly powers yields to the reverent awe of the living God. The early Church, facing persecutions under emperors who demanded worship of idols, drew strength from such texts. They understood that the 'do not fear' echoed through Scripture—from the command to Abraham to leave his homeland, through the angel's words to the Virgin at the Annunciation, to our Lord's own repeated exhortations to His disciples—was not a denial of danger but an invitation to trust in the God who brings good from evil. Consider the historical moment: the Jews labored amid opposition from Sanballat and others, yet God declared He would save them and make them a blessing. The Catena Aurea of the Angelic Doctor gathers similar Gospel echoes, showing how Chrysostom and others taught that fear of the world withers the soul, while fear of the Lord roots it in eternal hope. In our own trials, whether the loss of loved ones, the uncertainties of daily bread, or the tempests of the heart, we are called to the same faith. Let not the shadows of evening multiply your anxieties; instead, lift your eyes to the One who neither slumbers nor sleeps, who turns mourning into joy. Brethren, cast aside the chains of dread that bind you. As the remnant rebuilt amid ruins, so too may we, fortified by the sacraments and the communion of saints, advance in charity and courage. For the Lord has spoken: He will be with us. In this truth, fear dissolves like mist before the dawn of resurrection hope. #FearNot220 #FearNotUNPLUGGED #107of220 #Catholic

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