Daily Devotional for November 26

 

November 26                                                   Luke 19:11-27

                              "... I was afraid …"

Fear is the greatest immobilizer in the world. When we are
afraid, we are reluctant to take risks because we think that we
will be punished for our mistakes. This is as true spiritually as
it is in the other dimensions of our lives.

There are many kinds of fear, but mostly we simply fear rejec-
tion. Sometimes we are so afraid of rejection that, like the third
servant, we keep the love offered to us safely hidden away
where it will never require us to make ourselves vulnerable by
risking a response to it.

There is only one antidote to this kind of fear, and that is love.
The good news of today's Gospel is that Christ comes to give
each of us a share of God's love, much as the ruler in today's
parable entrusted a pound to each of the ten servants.

Sometimes, like the first and second servants, we multiply
Christ's love in the world by investing it wisely.

Sometimes, like the third servant, we allow fearful images of
God or ourselves to immobilize us. We think of God, for ex-
ample, as "a severe man," even though God has shown us other-
wise countless times. Or we think of ourselves as helpless
children, even though we are full-grown adults. We cling to
these old, distorted images because, even if they are painful,
at least they are familiar and we know what to expect. Cling-
ing to them allows us to play it safe and maintain the illusion
of control.

[And that fear is a selfish thing, showing no concern for others

but only for our own needs. L.M. 11/20/2017]

Today's Gospel invites us to risk letting go of crippling and fear-
ful images of God and ourselves and to begin experiencing and
investing the currency of God's love.

Are you afraid? Then let the mantra on your lips today be:

"... perfect love casts out fear." (I John 4:18)

​

From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C