“It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon…” (Luke 23:44).
The other day something happened to me that was quite dangerous.
It was certainly not the most dangerous thing to have ever happened in my life – I was not in danger of dying or even of being permanently injured – but I was certainly in some physical danger.
Though the danger soon passed and very little physical harm was done to me, there was some ongoing mental and emotional damage that I experienced as a result of that feeling of being in danger. And I have been reflecting on it ever since that incident.
You see, there are certain things that I can do to protect myself from danger. One of those things is to behave in a manner that is conducive to safety. This means looking both ways before crossing the street. Or, refusing to participate in risky behaviours like taking illicit drugs or consuming excessive amounts of alcohol. It could mean choosing not to associate with strangers online or in the street where there is an increased chance that I could be assaulted. But at the end of the day, danger exists and sometimes – like the other day – there is very little I can do to prevent danger impacting me.
For example, even if I continuously visited doctors and took medical tests to check whether I had a certain disease, it is still possible that I would have that disease anyway. Even if I follow all road rules carefully, it is still possible that others will not follow those rules, or will follow them carefully too but become distracted by something and that I will be involved in a car accident. And in all of this it can be very easy to become afraid.
In fact, when that dangerous thing happened to me, I became very afraid. And for a moment – or really more likely a day – I was so afraid that I was unable to think clearly.
And so I carried my rosary beads in my hand and sort of prayed the Rosary on and off for a day or so. And by the end of the day, I suddenly remembered that I am a daughter of the King and I have nothing of which to be afraid. The only danger that shall ever befall me shall be the danger that my Beloved allows for me because it shall be no danger at all, because God turns all things to the Good. And in doing so, God is really just holding me in the palm of His Hand so that He can lift me to Heaven.
You see, what I realised that day is that if God wanted the world to end or my life to be over, it would end or be over. But instead, God wants me to walk on through the danger because He wants me to hold on to His Hand. And today when I think about that I am no longer afraid. Because what will be will be. And that is going to be okay…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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