Fr. Michael Scanlan, TOR: Homily: Do Not Fear

do not fear do not fear those who deprive the body of life but cannot destroy the soul do not fear over over again Jesus after the resurrection is greeting in almost every appearance with fear not John Paul - over and over and over again don't be afraid get the fear handled and you can be a man of God be dominated by fear worry about what people are gonna say what people are gonna do what am I gonna get into promotion am I gonna get fired am I gonna get this am I going to get that is this gonna happen to that and you're subject to the clutches of the world don't fear easier said than done right say yes okay so I'm not just giving you a pious thought I'm talking about dealing with the real fears that we all have now there's fear in you and fears okay if it's focused in one place if you fear turning away from God if you fear being separated from God or the other way of expressing it which is in today's gospel gospel if you fear Satan tricking you leading you and tempting you away from God so that you're separated for him from him for all eternity that's good healthy fear but if you can focus your fears on that and in that direction and if you can route them there and become a free man a man of God the freedom of the sons of God Paul's expression on that that's what we need how do we get there yes the Holy Spirit is the source of it but we also have to deal with our minds and one way that has proven over and over faith faithful and effective in the history of Christian is to look at models look at heroes picked the right hero with all due respect to our coach and our commissioner they shouldn't primarily be the people who can hit the ball the furthest or can catch the most touchdown passes unless they also stand for God they've got to be men that you say I want to be like I want to do the stand the way he does to men who can inspire you who can imitate who you can imitate in my own life I try to always have a couple of really current ones I believe it's very helpful to have some who are living and some are dead the reason why you need both is because you're not too sure what the living ones are going to do next and they can leave you without a whole but the dead ones are secure and in fact that's what the church calls this process of canonization testing fully that they made it there with God they're in heaven their lives are solid nothing new is going to be revealed the Washington Post isn't going to do another exclusive showing some kind of behavior in their life you need the living in the dead yeah I personally this past year I just immerse myself in three people John Paul to Cardinal Conner Maximilian Kolbe I read their lives I went to their places I read things about them I prayed I studied nice and what is he doing that really I need to grow into I'm going to talk about Maximilian on Sunday to you about a he is a model of manhood today I want to talk about our saint of the day Justin just in the mortar fascinating man Justin could well have had a family he wasn't ordained you know priest or anything like that they just never quite deal with his personal life he certainly was a layman he was a scholarly type he figured he'd work out all the answers in his own mind how many can understand that you know the one thing but we'll we're not really all going to claim to be scholars or intellectuals but one thing about the American man is every one of us thinks we have good solid common sense and we can decide rightly about what's going on and that can be a prison because you keep trying to resolve everything in your own mind well Justin had the stuff to really pursue this he started off going through the philosophers he rejected Epicureanism moved to stoicism followed pathetic urbanism moved on and finally decided Plato Plato ISM was the way and he was a real brilliant man and there were in the second century and he was a scholar of the Greeks and an Romans and then a fascinating thing happened to him he had thought that if he just thought it out follow a Baranov he would discover God in God's place and so he retired to the seashore for solitude and her old man came up to him and he listened to what Justin was pursuing and finally the old man said to him to cross the limits of Reason divine help is necessary this help God has procured for us through the prophets Christ and the apostles pray if you wish the gates of light to be open to you those words changed Justin's life you know I've got two lessons out of that first make sure that you've crossed the limits of reason that you don't think you can work everything that you don't think everything in the universe and old truths are subject to your final judgment on them yes revelation is consistent with reason and we don't to be afraid of any science and studies and reason but reason has its limit and truth and absolute truth comes because it's revealed to us from God secondly God has inspired this movement of men throughout this country God has inspired it so that men can stand up for the truth and men can speak to one another as this old man whom we never found out who his name was spoke to Justin he saw this guy and doubtedly Justin was the more brilliant and he said to him wait a minute guy you know you don't have the answer revelations the answer you got to get into God you got to get the revelation of God you've got to come under to understand you know means to stand under it doesn't mean to dominate on top to stand under what indeed is revealed to us and so this man evangelized and that's what all are you going to be called to do to step into the gap and to stand forward not be afraid to stand up for the truth to speak it to your left and to your right and in the assembly and out of the assembly and simply say in your own words straight forward wait a minute this isn't right this isn't according to God's law this is what we're called to do this is for God's called faithfulness and fidelity and morality and spirituality in our lives those are the kind of things we've got to do well anyhow that really made an impression on Justin so he started to pray and read the scriptures and he became quite a Christian philosopher and theologist theologian he opened a school in Rome and school of apologetics so pretty soon he was called before the prefect now listen to this little dialogue because this is the main thing I want to say to you today this is an example of a hero who knows how to stand for the truth speak for word yes for yes know for know before thright not be intimidated not fear the powers around him and Weston came before the pre-pack rusty CLIs and PIPA gas and some question what sort of teaching you're doing bah bah bah they he says we worship the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God he was foretold to the prophets as the future Herald of salvation of the human race and the teacher of distinguished disciples for myself since I'm a human being I consider that what I say is insignificant in comparison with His infinite Godhead I acknowledge the existence of prophetic power for the one I have just spoken of as the Son of God was the subject of prophecy I know that the prophets were inspired from above when they spoke of his coming among men so Rustica says to him you're a Christian then Justin says yes I am a Christian the prefect said to Justin you're called a learned man think you know what is true teaching listen if you were scourge dand beheaded are you convinced that you would go up to heaven Justin said I hope that I shall enter God's house if I suffer in that way for I know that God's favor is stored up until the end of the whole world for all who have lived good lives the prefect Rustica said do you have any idea that you will go up to heaven to receive some suitable rewards Justin said it's not an idea that I have it is something I know well and hold to be most certain you see that strength wait a minute don't tell me I just have an idea an opinion and don't you know we were into a day job relativism I believe your way I believe my way I have my idea you have your idea ah to really stand is to say I believe there's only one way I believe that there's one truth and while I'm not your judge I'm not going to compromise where I stand as right and wrong true and Paul's this is what I believe finally Rustica said now let us come to the point at issue which is necessary and urgent gather round then and with one Accord offer sacrifice to the gods the Roman gods Justin said no one who is right thinking Stoops from true worship to false worship he's really asking for it right about there the prefect Rustica said if you if you do not do as you commanded you'll be tortured without mercy Justin said we hope to suffer torment for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ and so be saved but this will bring us salvation and confidence as we stand before the more terrible and universal judgment seat of our Lord and Savior I he knew who to fear Danai he knew with you where two places fear in the same way the other martyrs said do what you will with Christians we do not offer sacrifice to idols so the decree came down that they be scourged and led away to be killed they were beheaded and they fulfilled their witness and martyrdom and they strengthened all the people brothers we need witnesses we need them to stand and if death is the result so be it but most it's not but you've got to be willing stand make that decision you know when Isaac jokes and John Bob up the great missionaries of this continent when they made the decision as Jesuit seminarians that they hope to die for Christ they made a fundamental decision that they never took back when they came to North America and Isaac Jones had his fingers cut off and he was tortured and brutalized and sent back home and they offered him a place in a retreat house he said no I want to go back and continue evangelizing those people and they killed him and John rebuff stood as a man of God over and over again so much so that when if they finally killed him the Indians took out his heart and ate it in hope of getting the kind of courage they'd seen in his life I've got to stir it up the Holy Spirit is the source of courage the Holy Spirit is toda is listed in the Acts of the Apostle as the encourage ur encourager means give courage doesn't mean just stroke somebody nice boy that's where our courage comes courage means acting out of the deepest part of your heart quarter to the French or the Latin then the IJ acting out of the deepest principles to get in touch and to stand with them and to stand for God and the things of God you know we just finished celebrating Pentecost and the fathers were of the church were very prone to say that the one thing the Holy Spirit did that most got their attention is that he changed cowards into men of courage may it be so with us you

Channel: Franciscan University of Steubenville

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Keywords: Franciscan University, Steubenville, Ohio, Catholic, college, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Franciscan University of Steubenville (College / University), Fr. Michael Scanlan TOR, Fr. Mike, homily, Catholic Men's Conference, Men's Conference, conference, Steubenville Conferences, Do not fear, Holy Spirit

Id: CmU7elObZ0A

Length: 14min 17sec (857 seconds)

Published: Sat Jan 07 2017