''Come to the edge,'' He said. They said, ''We are afraid.'' ''Come to the edge,'' He said. They came. He pushed them... and they flew.”

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” ― Plato: (427– 348 BC: was a philosopher in Classical Greece)

Gospel Text: (HEB13:1-8)

Let brotherly love continue.

Do not neglect hospitality,

for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.

Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment,

and of the ill-treated as of yourselves,

for you also are in the body.

Let marriage be honored among all

and the marriage bed be kept undefiled,

for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.

Let your life be free from love of money

but be content with what you have,

for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you.

Thus we may say with confidence:

The Lord is my helper,

and I will not be afraid.

What can anyone do to me?

Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you.

Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

What causes us to be afraid? Basically, the root of every fear is the assumption that we are not loved, not really-really loved. We're afraid of being open and honest with others because they might take advantage of it to hurt us. We're afraid our prayers won't be answered because God doesn't care.

Today's first reading from Mass describes the various ways that we act in love, and then it points out that by relying on the help of God who is love, we have nothing to fear. Elsewhere in scripture, we're told that "there is no fear in love, because perfect love drives out fear...." (1 John 4:18).