A sower went out to sow....

When Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope in 1978, his first message to the world was: Be not afraid. Why did he say that? He probably knew that the people of today are in fear. In his first encyclical letter, Redemptor Hominis, our late Pope addressed that which makes man afraid. He began saying that man is becoming increasingly fearful of what he has created – afraid of modernity and technology, which threatens to enslave man rather than to be his servant.

More tan that, man is afraid of what the wild stirrings of his heart are capable of. He is also afraid to the demands of the Gospel. And he is also becoming more and more troubled that his dreams – for himself and his loved ones – may not come true.

But in all this, the words of John Paul II reminded us not to be afraid. For him, the power of God will overshadow our fearful hearts. God’s grace will see us through in the midst of all this.

Today, as we honor St. Joseph, we hear the same assurance from the angel bidding him not to be afraid to commit himself to the will of God. Why? Because, like us, Joseph was afraid. He was scared if he took Mary into his home he might lose face, and could be called “husband of an adulterer.” He was also afraid if he exposed Mary to the authorities, they would kill her. Above all this, being a righteous man, Joseph was afraid of offending God. It troubled him that he dreamt about it. But God’s power was made manifest in his dream. Then he feared no more.

We admire Joseph for his docility and obedience, for his selfless love, for listening to his angel. We admire him for his readiness to lose his life and his reputation for the sake of his beloved. But most of all we admire him for his courage, his capacity to dream even in the most tense of situations.

Today, more than ever, many of us are in a similar situations. We are afraid to take responsibility of our own lives. We are afraid to commit to a cause, to a certain value however noble it is. We are afraid to put our lives on the line. We are afraid that our dreams may not come true. We are afraid to trust, to be cheated or to be treated unfairly.

But in all this, find time to dream, to be tranquil, to be still, to be calm, to silence yourself to hear the angel of God calling out to you. Be not afraid because God has a plan for you and He will see to it that it is fulfilled. Hence, blessed are those who continue to dream even if they are afraid. In their dreaming, the power of God is revealed, and their fear is banished. And the plan of god is fulfilled. God gives strength and guidance to those who seek his help, especially when we face trials, doubts, fears, perplexing circumstances, and what seems like insurmountable problems and challenges in our personal lives. Let us pray that God banish our fear to do His will and to commit ourselves to His cause