"Do not be terrified"
- DOROTHY DAY
We may be living on the verge of eternity — but that should not make us dismal.
The early Christians rejoiced to think that the end of the world was near, as they thought.... Are we so unready to face God? Are we so avid for joys here that we perceive so darkly those to come?
It is hard to think of these things. It is not to be understood; we cannot expect to understand. We must just live by faith, and the faith that God is good, that all times are in his hands, must be tried as though by fire....
The first job of the Christian, it seems to me, is to grow in faith in God — in his power, in the conviction that we are all held in the hollow of his hand. He is our safeguard and defense. This faith we must pray for does away with fear, which paralyzes all effort — fear of losing a job, of hunger, of eviction, as well as fear of bodily violence and the blows of insult and contempt....
I do not want to play down martyrdoms, but to keep in mind always, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. God loves all men. God wills that all men be saved. But we have that great and glorious gift of free will, which distinguishes man from the beast, the power of choice, and man often chooses evil because it has the semblance of the good, because it seems to promise happiness...
To grow in faith in God, in Christ, in the Holy Spirit, that is the thing. Without him we can do nothing. With him we can do all things....
I have had so many years of experience of how God takes care of those who trust him. He is unfailing and will send us what we need.
This is Meaghen Gonzalez, Editor of CERC. I hope you appreciated this piece. We curate these articles especially for believers like you.
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Acknowledgement
Servant of God Dorothy Day. "Do not be terrified." (from various sources).
Reprinted under a fair use provision.
The Author
Servant of God Dorothy Day († 1980) was a convert to Catholicism and the co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement. She is the author of The Reckless Way of Love: Notes on Following Jesus, The Duty of Delight: The Diaries of Dorothy Day, The Long Loneliness, From Union Square to Rome, All the Way to Heaven: The Selected Letters of Dorothy Day, Loaves and Fishes, On Pilgrimage, and Wisdom from Dorothy Day: A Radical Love.
