Do Not Be Afraid, but Do Be Prudent

So, Joseph, intending to quietly break up with his fiancée, Mary, found pregnant, though not be him, is assured by an angel that she had conceived by the power of God’s spirit, and the child would be the long-awaited Messiah, who would deliver people from the chokehold of their sins.

And Joseph is not afraid, and lightning-bolt “coincidences” verified the angel’s words. A new star appeared in the heavens, and astrologers from the East, laden with gifts for the new King, followed it, until it stopped over a manger, where the temporarily homeless Jesus was laid. A location described by an angel to shepherds doing a night watch, who then visited. 

But then, an angel revisits Joseph with a different message. No longer “Do not be afraid,” but flee with the child to Egypt, for jealous, insecure  Herod, hearing from the Magi of this baby and forever King, plans to kill him.

Do not be afraid, but yet flee? Become a refugee? But the angel’s original statements were verified by so many coincidences…Magi appearing with gold which would sustain them in Egypt, angel-sent shepherds with rumours of great companies of angels singing of coming peace.

Joseph flees.

Fear is allowing ourselves to be frozen or panicked by imaginary what-ifs. It tenses our bodies; strains health, sleep and relationships; makes us stingy with ourselves and others; leads to overwork, and time wasted doing pointless things for fear of people’s ill opinions.

Prudence is wisdom--using our experience and spiritual discernment as we battle the demonic forces of this dark world, in Paul’s phrase. It’s fighting with divinely powerful weapons: truth, righteousness, faith, Scripture, and prayer, while surrendering our thoughts to Christ.  

So let’s act prudently, wisely and bravely, silencing fear, while remaining alert to God’s guidance, delivered through inner peace or intuitions of danger and wrongness, our spiritual senses tuned to the Spirit’s “No,” his “Slow,” his “Go,” as cautious as a serpent, protected, while being as gentle as a dove, or a lamb among wolves.

My memoir: Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India UK USA

Blog: anitamathias.com

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My book of essays: Wandering Between Two Worlds (US) and UK

Transcript

Do Not Be Afraid, but Do Be Prudent

“Do not be afraid,” a dream-angel tells Joseph, to marry Mary,

who’s pregnant, though a virgin, for in our magical, God-

invaded world, the Spirit has placed God’s son in her as long

foretold by Isaiah. Call the baby Jesus, or The Lord saves,

for he will drag people free from the chokehold of their sins.

And Joseph is not afraid. And the angel was right,

for a star rose, signalling a new King of the Jews. 

Astrologers from the East followed it, threatening King Herod, 

whose chief priests recounted Micah’s 600-year-old prophecy:

the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, as Jesus had

just been, while his parents from Nazareth registered

for Augustus Caesar’s census of the entire Roman world.  

The Magi worshipped the baby, offering gold, frankincense, myrrh.

And shepherds came, told by an angel of joy: that the Lord, the

Messiah, a saviour from all that oppresses, had just been born.

Then, suddenly, the dream-angel warned: Flee with the child

to Egypt. For Herod plans to kill this baby and forever-King.

Do not be afraid, but still flee? Become a refugee? But

lightning-bolt coincidences had verified the angel’s first

words: The magi appeared with gold for the flight. Shepherds

told of angels singing of coming inner peace. Joseph flees.

What’s the difference between fear and prudence? Fear is

being frozen or panicked by imaginary what-ifs. It tenses 

our bodies; strains health, sleep and relationships; makes us

stingy with ourselves and others; leads to overwork, and time 

wasted doing pointless things for fear of people’s ill opinions.

Prudence is wisdom--using our experience and spiritual discernment

as we battle the demonic forces of this dark world, in Paul’s phrase.

It’s fighting with divinely powerful weapons: truth, righteousness,

faith, Scripture, and prayer, while surrendering our thoughts to Christ.  

So let’s act prudently, wisely and bravely, silencing fear, while 

remaining alert to God’s guidance, delivered through inner peace

or intuitions of danger and wrongness, our spiritual senses tuned to

the Spirit’s “No,” his “Slow,” his “Go,” as cautious as a serpent, 

protected, while being as gentle as a dove, or a lamb among wolves.