The events that are recently shaking the world (coronavirus, economic crisis, etc.), as well as many other dramatic events in daily life, can lead to despair and fear for the future.
It is interesting to note that even among Catholics pessimism, bitterness, and confusion are growing, both due to material difficulties and, above all, spiritual ones.
This is largely due to the many persecutions that Christians, and especially Catholics, must constantly suffer: derision, disrespect towards religion, false doctrines, heresies, anti-Christian laws, and so on.
It almost seems as if the world has never been as hostile as it is today. Today, when hypocrisy is rampant, do-goodism is the current of thought according to which – as Chesterton said – the Christian must respect everyone and everything except Christianity itself.
This situation is causing an ever-increasing state of anxiety among many believers, as well as the spread of catastrophic news and phantom prophecies that take away hope.
Faith thus turns into a dangerous superstition that has nothing to do with a true love for God the Father. Sooner or later, we will all have received one of those disconcerting “chains” via Whatsapp, according to which “if you say so many Hail Marys you will receive this or that” or one of those images portraying the Madonna that must be sent “to ten people, including me, so as not to interrupt this chain, and if you don’t do it, *insert a random catastrophe* will happen”.
Some do it as a joke or for a laugh, but others, unfortunately, really end up reducing faith to these senseless practices, or – even more dangerously – to giving credence to this or that seer, to this or that prophecy.
Let us therefore clarify these things by entrusting ourselves to the Master, to Jesus, who told us everything we need to know.
Anguish does not come from God
God is a refuge for those who have anguished hearts and gives hope to those who are afraid. This liberation from turmoil occurs in those who trust in the Father and ask for his help. Finding ourselves in difficulty and suffering, we rediscover ourselves as weak and broken: then we must have the humility to recognize our misery and seek refuge in the Lord, who always responds to this call.
Thus we read repeatedly in the Psalms: The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord, and in the time of trouble he is their refuge (Ps 36:39); In the day of trouble I will cry to you, and you will hear me (Ps 85:7); when I was oppressed with anguish, your consolation consoled me (Ps 93:19).
What to do, then, in moments of anguish, disturbance, sadness?
Jesus, as well as all of Scripture, teaches us: to pray to God the Father, who frees us from anguish.
The evangelists tell us that Jesus, shortly before being captured, knowing that the moment of his Passion had arrived, began to feel fear and anguish (Mk 14:33; Mt 26:37), and, in the grip of anguish, he prayed more intensely (Lk 22:44).
If even Jesus, experiencing these things, felt the need to pray, how can we think of not doing it?
And God heard that prayer and sent Jesus an angel from heaven to strengthen him (Lk 22:43).
We cannot be immune to fear and suffering. It is humanly impossible not to feel sad in certain circumstances and it would be, indeed, inappropriate to face pain lightly.
However, remaining in anguish and despair, seeing everything negatively, harboring resentment, anger, and disillusionment, and transmitting these negative feelings that take away peace to the outside world, is a clear sign of distance from God.
It is no coincidence that the Scriptures always reveal to us that fear, anguish, and terror are the companions of the wicked, of those who, by not adhering to God’s law of love and justice, have darkened souls.
Because I called you, and you refused; I stretched out my hand, and no one paid attention; you ignored all my counsel, and refused my reproof;
I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear comes upon you when your terror comes upon you like a storm when your calamity comes upon you like a whirlwind when your distress and anguish come upon you. (Proverbs 1:24-27)
Anguish, reiterates St. Paul the Apostle, overwhelms those who do evil (Rom 2:9), and is the fruit of darkness.
Those who have a dark heart see and judge everything according to this darkness, and no light can come from their words or their deeds.
