“SIN MIEDO”…

…in other words…

Angels, celestial beings of ethereal beauty and divine purpose, have captivated the imaginations and beliefs of humanity for centuries. The word angel means “messenger” of God, angels are mentioned throughout various scriptures, providing comfort and solace to those in need. In the Gospel of Luke 2:8-12 , during the angelic proclamation of Jesus' birth, the message of "do not fear" resounds, assuring the shepherds of the great tidings to come. Similarly, in Matthew 28:5, an angel tells the women at Jesus' tomb, "Do not be afraid,” for He has risen. These verses remind us that angels, sent by God, bring messages of hope, peace, and protection, imploring us to trust in divine providence and casting aside our fears. In light of all these protective messages we finally reach the Scripture passage referenced on your garment (Matthew 1:20)… Let’s reflect a little deeper if you will…

Is fear itself the root of our sin? I would argue that you would agree yes, it is, even before our pride. What does fear do? We are all sinners, now, analyze your sins in terms of fear. If we are honest with ourselves, when we are afraid, we often times become defensive. Sometimes even to the point of lashing out at the ones we care about most deeply, let alone our enemies. Right? Why do we do all these things that we know are bad for us, maybe even self destructive? The truth is that when we reflect deeply on this question we can see that at the bottom of our sin is something like fear itself.

Fear entered the world the moment that man decided to go against God’s very will for our flourishing. We see this depicted in the theological saga of the Book of Genesis, not coincidentally, in the very first chapters of the Bible. When Adam and Eve have fallen from grace, what is the first thing they do? They hide themselves when they hear God. They have separated themselves from the Divine Love, and thus fear sets in - fear of their nakedness and, ultimately, fear of their finitude.

Now bear with me, what is this all about? Fear can more often than not be the catalyst to our demise, and in Matthew 1:20, Joseph the human father to Jesus is faced with a decision he is fearful to make.

Now I love this chapter and verse, not only because it solidifies one of hundreds of prophesies that Jesus is the fulfillment of - namely, Jesus being from the royal line of King David - but because God shows us through, Joseph, that we truly have nothing to fear. Not even humiliation and death.

In discovering that the woman he is betrothed to is pregnant, he quickly plans to divorce her even before their lives together begin. He would have been legally free to do this, for in those days, with what appeared to be a clear case of adulatory, this was enough to divorce and presumably bring shame upon the sinner - in some cases even face being stoned to death. When God intervenes, however, He has different plans. The angel of the Lord that is sent tells Joseph. “do not fear to take Mary as your wife”, and assures Joseph of Mary’s virginity. This would be to fulfill yet another prophesy that “the virgin would give birth to a son who will be called Immanuel, "God with us" (Isaiah 7:14).

Joseph could have been like any other prideful man and written of this vision as imaginative or valued his own life and reputation over this Divine Message from God. What did he choose, though? He chose to live for the will of God. He chose to participate in the perfect love, that is, God. Instead of living out a life focused inward on oneself, he emulated the divine love, by taking Mary as his wife despite all odds, and fathering this new child that is the Son of God. Then it is Jesus, the Golden Thread throughout all of Scripture that shows us the ultimate version of this love by laying down His life for ours.

Brothers and Sisters, this is a lot to unpack, but if I can summarize about the message that God wants us to hear - Do Not Fear - its this:

We can all live imitating this divine love. When we live our life in God, perfect love will cast out all fear. Then our ability to live with an openness of heart and mind will flourish.

Do. Not. Fear… You know you have met or seen an angel when you hear these words. Truly if you came face to face with an angel, the reality would be terrifying. They are metaphysical beings that are beyond our comprehension; that are not of this world. What would follow this terrifying encounter? A message sending you forth into the world with a new mission from God.

To learn more about this divine message to “Not Fear” listen to what Bishop Barron has to say on this important topic

Curious About Angels?

To learn more about angels, what they do, what they know, and what they celebrate

Listen to this 3 part series on Angels by Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer