|
The
Lesson of the Rattlesnake
Fr.
George Smiga
June
19, 2005
Matthew
10: 26-33
The
Indians of the American Southwest believed that every animal
was intended to teach us a lesson on how to live. It was the
rattlesnake, they believed, that was meant to teach us about
fear. The Indians believed that in late summer, when the rattlesnake
would shed its skin, it became temporarily immobile and blind.
It was therefore in a very vulnerable position. In that position
it was controlled by fear. Whenever it would sense a movement
in its vicinity, it would immediately strike out in blindness
after the sound that it had heard. If anything brushed against
its skin, it would immediately bite the spot that had been
touched, thereby injecting venom into its own body from its
fangs. This of course would lead to death. So according to
the American Indians, the lesson that the rattlesnake teaches
us about fear is this: Our fear can destroy us.
That
is why it is very important for each one of us to identify
the fears in our life and to deal with them. It is important
that we do this, because ignoring fears can lead to blindness
and paralysis. Ignoring fears can rob us of life.
So,
are you afraid? Take time in answering this question, because
not all fear is the same. There is a violent, obvious fear,
a fear that sets our hearts pounding and causes us to sweat.
We feel this fear after we have escaped from an automobile
accident, or when someone startles us in a quiet room. But
there is also a subtle, insinuating fear that can pervade
our lives. This fear comes at us not like a roaring lion,
but as a coiled snake sitting in the corner of the room. This
quiet fear travels with us day by day. It can rob us of freedom.
It can choke our life.
So
how can we discern whether this subtle, quiet fear is having
an influence upon us? One way is to notice the things in our
lives that we say we should do, but never get around to doing.
We should recognize the things that we do not have the freedom
to act upon. Because this failure to act is oftentimes the
result of a fear that is under the surface, a quiet fear that
undermines us.
Why
have you not had that conversation with your spouse that you
know you should have? It might be because of a fear that,
if you start an honest discussion, larger issues would surface
that would also have to be dealt with. Why have you not broken
off a relationship that you know is unhealthy, perhaps even
abusive, and moved on with your life? It might be because
there is a fear that, if you end this relationship, you will
live the rest of your life alone. Why is it that you do not
speak what you feel, that you do not express what you need?
It might be because there's a fear that really telling others
who you are would somehow be disloyal to your family or the
people you love. Why is it you don't take time for yourself
but instead are always working and helping others? It might
be because there is a fear that, if you stop doing, you will
somehow lose your identity or your own value. Why is it that
you do not commit yourself to a person that you know that
you love, or to an opportunity that you know would be good
for you to accept? It might be because of a fear that, in
choosing this one person or this one opportunity, you must
leave behind other possibilities without which you might be
unhappy.
All
fear is bondage. If we let fear control us, it robs us of
our freedom to act. It paralyzes us. It sets us in a vicious
circle, where we keep knowing the things that we should do
but somehow never find the power to do them. How do we break
this bondage of fear? How do we short-circuit this vicious
circle that keeps robbing us of our life? We have to reach
outside of ourselves. As those in AA would say, we have to
find a higher power. This is what Jesus is talking about in
today's gospel. Three times in the gospel he says, “Do not
be afraid.” He can say this because he knows that not a sparrow
falls to the ground without God knowing about it and caring
about it, and that we are worth more than many sparrows. Jesus
tells us that to deal with fear we must recognize love. We
must recognize the love of God that surrounds us, the love
of God that has intimate knowledge of our life, the love of
God that knows the number of hairs on our head. If we can
claim that love and recognize God's presence in our life,
we can overcome the fears that paralyze us.
Are
there reasons to be afraid? Of course there are. But for the
believer who recognizes that there is a love surrounding us
and guiding us, those fears need not overwhelm us. The gospel
today encourages us to entrust ourselves into God's care,
to believe in God's love, to trust that God knows all the
needs and problems of our lives, to know that God will not
abandon us.
“Perfect
love drives out fear.” That saying is true. But the perfect
love that removes fear from our life is not our love of God,
but God's continual, powerful, unyielding love for us.
|
