Fear is defined in part as “an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger; an instance of this emotion; a state marked by this emotion.  Anxious concern, solicitude. Profound reverence and awe especially toward God.”  What a strange word to use during this time of great joy.  Spring is upon us, and the Northern Hemisphere is waking up from the long winter’s sleep.  Christians are celebrating the resurrection of Our Lord and Savior and His conquest of death and yet fear remains.

A painting of the tormented Christ was presented as a gift to Holy Cross Cemetery this Holy Week from a family, with the hope that it would have a home in this place of rest.  The artist captured something very profound when painting the eyes of Jesus and I was so profoundly struck by Christ’s humanity.  I see in His eyes, an acknowledgement of His humanity in the very human emotion of fear.  He knew what was to pass as His body was subjected to such extreme torture and a death reserved for the worst of criminals.  The eyes are truly a window into who we are and His painted eyes capture His humanity. 

We often focus on Christ’s Divinity and forget the very human person that He was during His earthly ministry.  Christ came to live with us, to experience our joys and our pains and to die for us.  His journey to the Cross must have been filled with very real human fear.  In those moments when He cried out to God, Jesus must have felt completely connected to us as He felt death approaching.  It is in this moment that Christ is with us and in our remembrance of this moment we find our faith in the life to come. 

Without faith, fear becomes an all-consuming emotion, and we may find ourselves cast into a pit of despondency.  Life brings with it moments of both joy and pain; Christ experienced this too.  When despair wants to take over, my Catholic faith provides me with the way back.  God never abandons us; He didn’t abandon our Christ on the Cross and He certainly does not leave us to fend for ourselves.

God Bless each of you as we celebrate the conquest of death and life eternal.