Replacing Fear with the Message of Hope

I met Father John Edwards S.J. officially in the early 2000’s when he was assigned to the Jesuit Dallas School Community. Fr. Edwards was ordained a priest when I was less than a year old but despite the gulf in our ages, we became fast friends and he served as my spiritual director until his passing in February 2016. We spent many hours together every week. We would always focus first on where I was from an Ignatian point of view - how I was doing in my life reflecting on SPIES –Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and Socially.

From here, the conversation took many interesting turns. One such conversation was reflecting on the question of Palm Sunday. Where did I see myself on Palm Sunday and the Lord’s Passion? Was I one of the cheering crowd laying out palms as Jesus entered the city? Was I a person who stood behind the crowd watching? Did I take the same stance and try to hide when he was brought before Pilate, afraid that I would suffer the same fate the Jesus was headed for? Was I one of the friends of Jesus who denied him or even worse betrayed him? Did I leave Jesus alone?

I always found it interesting that vast throngs of people go from shouting praise to shouting condemnations of Jesus. Despite the passing of two thousand years more of experiences as humans, we still suffer from the same frailties and fears as our brothers and sisters who stood on those Roman roads so long ago.

Fr. Edwards and I spoke about how fear continues to shape our decisions and actions today. As a boy growing up in Dallas, the son of a paper distributor in Oak Cliff, the plan was for him to take over the lucrative family business. Instead, one afternoon sitting in a Jesuit Dallas classroom in the old school building on Oaklawn and Blackburn, semi-paying attention to his teacher, he felt touched by the Holy Spirit to think about the possibility of becoming a Jesuit priest. Fr. Edwards said that he was afraid of how he was going to tell his parents, especially his father, that he was not going to take over the business. He was afraid of what turning his life over to Christ would actually entail. Fortunately, for many others, myself included, the young Fr. Edwards conquered his fears.

Our goal as people of God is to live a life in which we replace fear and despondency with the message of Christ – one of life over death, one of resurrection filled with faith and hope.

Author: Mike Earsing, President