May 31

Holding up a present he had recently received, he said, “It roars just like a tyrannosaurus!” Feigning fear, I asked Bo, “Will your dinosaur hurt me?” Bo tilted his head to one side. “Carolyn,” he said, “it is a toy from Target.”
 
In today’s Gospel, Jesus comes upon his disciples who are truly afraid. Like Bo, Jesus assuages their fears by “speaking the truth in love.” (Ephesians 4:15) Unlike my fake feeling, the disciples had reason to be concerned. The Romans had executed their rabbi. But they, like me, could be reassured by having matters put into perspective. Jesus does not say “Be not afraid,” rather he says “Peace be with you…Receive the Holy Spirit.” Awareness of the presence of the Spirit puts the disciples’ fear into a larger perspective. They were given a Spirit that connected them to the divine and to each other. Grounding in that Spirit diminishes fear. They may still feel the emotion, but fear need not dominate their lives or determine their actions.
 
We have been given that Spirit, offered that peace of mind. And we have been given each other so that when one of us feels afraid, the rest of us can comfort and sustain that one. Many of the “dinosaurs” in our lives turn out to be “toys from Target” when we tap into the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, among us and all around us.