Part IV of a 9 Part Series

FEAR

"What on earth are you afraid of?

(Compiled by Michael T. Sullivan, MD)

“Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David,
a Savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.” (Lk 2:10-11)

In medical terms, “fear” is often defined as an unpleasant, often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger, often accompanied by increased autonomic activity (increased heart rate, blood pressure and sweating). “Anxiety” is defined by an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by the same physiological signs, by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one’s capacity to cope with it. However, “fear” in the most general term as used in the English vernacular, and so often in the multitude of mystical gifts from God the Father, Our Lord Jesus Christ and Our Lady of Emmitsburg through Gianna Sullivan, most often implies anxiety and usually loss of courage. The moral evaluation of anxiety begins with the exercise of prudence, to discover if there are valid grounds for the apprehension. If there are not, to act on the anxiety or fail to act because of it would be a lack of trusting God’s Providence.

Fear Part IV

13. Fear of Defending God's Truth
14. Fear of Rejection
15. Fear of Failure

FEAR PART IV...

Yesterday the Church celebrated the feast of one of its greatest scholars and saints who is also a "Doctor" of the Church. How timeless is one of his prayers, so yet appropriate today:

Prayer for Forgiveness

{St. Thomas’ (+1274)}

To You, O God, Fountain of Mercy, I come, a sinner.
May You wash away my impurity.
O’ Sun of Justice, give sight to the blind.
O’ Eternal Healer, cure the wounded.
O’ King of Kings, restore the despoiled.
O’ Mediator of God and man, reconcile the sinful.
O’ Good Shepherd, lead back the straying.
O’ God, have pity on the wretched, show leniency to the guilty;
Bestow life on the dead, reform the impious;
And give the balm of grace to the hard of heart.

O’ most merciful God, call back the one who flees;
Draw back the one who resists, lift up the one who falls;
Support the one who stands, and accompany the one who walks.

Do not forget those who forget You.
Do not desert those who desert You.
Do not despise those who sin against You.

For in sinning, I have offended You, my God;
I have harmed my neighbor; I have not even spared myself injury.

I have sinned, O my God, against you, Almighty Father, because of my
weakness;
Against You, all knowing Son, because of my ignorance;
Against You, merciful Holy Spirit, because of my malice.
Thus have I offended you most high Trinity.

Woe to me, a pitiful soul!
How many, how great, and how diverse are the sins I have committed.

I abandoned You, Lord. I question Your goodness,
By yielding to evil cravings and weakening myself with harmful fears.

By such things, I preferred to lose You rather than abandon what I
desired,
To offend You rather than face what ought not to be feared.

O my God, how much harm have I done by word and deed,
And by sinning secretly, openly and defiantly.

Therefore, out of my weakness I beg you not to pay heed to my iniquity,
But rather to Your immense goodness.
And I beg you mercifully to pardon what I have done,
Granting me sorrow for my past actions and precaution in the future. Amen.

Don Bosco’s Prophecy of the Two Columns...

A Portrait of the Prophetic Dream...

What has Our Lady of Emmitsburg said on this great saint's feast?

“I do not think that many people realize the connection between the Feast of St. Don Bosco and my invitation for you to come to the Center of my Immaculate Heart (Jan. 31, 1993); both because of his interaction with and heartfelt works for the children which gave God tremendous glory, along with his prophecy (in 1862) that through adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament there would be a renewal in the world. …” (OLOE Private 01-31-07)

Our Lady of Emmitsburg January 31, 2007...

“And no matter how many people think that you are corrupt or diabolical or dishonest or planning to deceive, God knows and sees the truth; for He is the Truth! Everyone must answer to God, and He says, ‘Tell them, tell them Who sent you. Tell them I Am sent you.” (OLOE Private 01-31-09)

Our Lady of Emmitsburg January 31, 2009...

What has Our Lady of Emmitsburg said on Our Lord's great feast day?

“…That is why faith must be at the center of your life and your prayer; because only then will God give you peace in your heart and in your families, and you will be able to not only understand, but to know how to help others. It is with prayer and in your own way that you will see that God is close to you and how special you are, and that you have been put on this world for a great mission—a mission for your life, for your happiness, for your freedom, and for the love and unity of all peoples….” (OLOE Private 02-01-09)

Our Lady of Emmitsburg February 1, 2009...