fear – The Noontimes

Isaiah 51: When We Feel Abandoned

Isaiah 51: When We Feel Abandoned

Sunday, October 12, 2025

These are the first words that greeted me this morning in my email inbox. They are from the Richard Rohr site to which I subscribe and currently Rohr is sending messages from his newest book, BREATHING UNDER WATER. The title – and the meditation message below – speaks to anyone who has suffered deeply, and to anyone who longs to suffer well.

“Only people who have suffered in some way can save one another—exactly as the Twelve Step program discovered. Deep communion and dear compassion is formed much more by shared pain than by shared pleasure. Only those who have tried to breathe under water know how important breathing really is, and will never take it for granted again. They are the ones who do not take shipwreck or drowning lightly, who can name “healing” correctly, who know what they are being saved from, and who develop the patience and humility to ask the right questions of God and of themselves.

“You see, only the survivors know the full terror of the passage, the arms that held them through it all, and the power of the obstacles that were overcome. Those who have passed over eventually find a much bigger world of endurance, meaning, hope, self-esteem, deeper and true desire, but most especially, a bottomless pool of love both within and without”.

From BREATHING UNDER WATER: SPIRITUALITY AND THE TWELVE STEPS, pp. 123,124,125 http://cacradicalgrace.org/resources/breathing-under-water

Here we have clear instructions for what to do when we are deeply troubled, for when we believe that we do not fully understand God’s plan, for when we may even feel abandoned by God.

Listen to me . . . we are instructed. I will help you to breathe under water. I will sustain you in a world that feels foreign to you.

Look to the rock from which you are hewn . . . God says to us. You are made in my image. I love you dearly. I will never leave you.

Be attentive to me . . . God calls out to us. I exist through all time and space as do you. I speak to you now. I am telling you that you will never fail.

Raise your eyes to the heavens and look at the earth below . . . we are challenged. Choose life or death. Choose your own plan or mine.

Fear not the reproach of others . . . we are cautioned. Their opinion means nothing in the light of eternity. Follow the law rather than the whimsical judgment of those who chase after power, status and reputation.

Awake, awake, put on strength . . . God urges us. I know that you are weary but my burden is light and my shoulders are broad. I carry many but I long to carry you.

Hear me, you who know justice, you who have my teaching in your heart . . . God does not waver, God does not give up. I, it is I who comfort you. I am the Lord you God. I have put my words into your mouth. I have shielded you in the shadow of my hand. I stretched out the heavens; I laid the foundations of the earth. I am here to rescue you.

So when we are fear-filled, we must remember to ask for the grace, patience, and wisdom to discern God’s hand in all that happens around us. When we feel abandoned, we must keep the arms of Jesus wrapped round us. When it seems that all is hopeless, we must abide in the faith that God the Father knows all and keeps his promises. When we are deeply troubled, we must ask intercession for those who have harmed us and done us damage. When we feel utterly alone, we rest in the understanding and solace of the Holy Spirit. And when we are healed, we turn to others to pass along the wonder of God’s love.

A re-post from September 17, 2011.

Images from: https://blog.padi.com/what-is-scuba-diving/

October 12, 2025

abandonment, compassion, despair, fear, God’s love, hope, Richard Rohr and Breathing Under Water, suffering

Ezra 6: Rebuilding

Ezra 6: Rebuilding

Saturday, September 6, 2025

Written on January 8 and posted today as a Favorite . . .

The house is to be rebuilt . . .

*Habitat for Humanity Volunteers rebuild after a disaster in Nepal*

We are so often exhausted by life’s demands that we cannot experience joy when we hear good news . . . the house is to be rebuilt.

In today’s Noontime, King Darius reiterates the original command given by King Cyrus . . . the house is to be rebuilt. Nehemiah, the administrator, and Ezra, the priest, set about restoring the city and temple in Jerusalem. They travel through dangerous territory and carry with them a letter of safe-passage from their former enemy. They arrive in Jerusalem to find a pile of rubble so dense that horses cannot find a pathway – they must pick their way on foot through toppled stone. They return from exile most likely drained of energy, but there is hope and even joy because . . . the house is to be rebuilt.

I am struck by the concordance of the instructions in the decree we read today with the original description of the temple that Solomon built which we read in 1 Kings 7. God does not forget his promise to the Jewish nation that . . . the house is to be rebuilt.

Nor does God forget all that God has promised us, his daughters and his sons. Just like the destroyed temple, we too will be rebuilt and in fact are being rebuilt each day. We are the temple in which the Spirit dwells, and as the cares of the world tear at its pillars and nibble at is foundation, Jesus becomes the master planner who constantly offers to help us reconstruct. His constant attention and love remind us that . . . the house is to be rebuilt.

I am thinking of Psalms 126 and 127. Those who go out weeping return singing . . . we labor in vain unless the Lord is the master builder of our house.

Whatever our flaws, whatever our sorrows, all will be converted to joy for we are promised that . . . the house is to be rebuilt.

Whatever our obstacles, whatever our fears, they become our stepping stones to serenity once we remember that . . . the house is to be rebuilt.

A re-post from August 14, 2011.

For more on how Habitat for Humanity rebuilds after disasters, click on the image or visit: https://www.habitat.org/ap/our-work/rebuilding-after-disasters

September 6, 2025

1 Kings 7, builders, Darius, Ezra, fear, God the Father, Jesus, Jesus as the Master Builder, joy, Nehemiah, Psalms 126-127, serenity, Spirit, The Temple

Genesis 18:1-15: Dissembling

Genesis 18:1-15: Dissembling

Monday, September 1, 2025

Because she was afraid, Sarah dissembled, saying, “I didn’t laugh”. But he said, “Yes you did.” It seems that when we are afraid, or even uncomfortable, we hide. Perhaps we want to protect ourselves from unwanted criticism at a time when we feel vulnerable. Society would benefit from our willingness to put aside fear in order to practice honesty. Our families would flourish if we might find a way to establish trust in order that we become less defensive. Our work and play communities would prosper if we were free of ridicule. Putting aside fear so that we might live a life of authenticity is what God asks us to do. We all fail at this constantly – and this is something that God knows well.

Fear has been with us since our genesis as humans; it is not an aberration that arises after eons of human evolution. Nor is it a modern phenomenon brought on by rapid change or sudden advances in technology. Fear must have been with the first humans who hunted and gathered food and sought shelter. Dissembling was likely a defense against isolation or separation from the tribe, a strategy for survival. Is it a tool we want to use today? Do we need to shave edges from truth? Do we need to shape the opinion of those around us? Are we willing to go to God and ask that we begin again – in total honesty – without dissembling?

It is good to remind ourselves that God is quick to pardon when we ask forgiveness, and that God has infinite mercy for us. We know that all God asks is our gratitude and our willingness to do as he asks. God constantly assures us that we are loved – and God asks for our love in return. We need not fear. We need not dissemble. And we need not nurture this dissembling in ourselves or others. When we are fearful, we know what we must do.

From today’s MAGNIFICAT Morning Prayer (Cameron 129-130)

Jonah 2:3: Out of my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me.

Isaiah 43:12: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name: you are mine. When you pass through the water, I will be with you; in the rivers you shall not drown. When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned; the flames shall not consume you.

And so we pray . . .

When we feel fear begin to consume us, rather than dissemble and begin to weave a complicated web, we must call on God to bolster us in the truth.

When we are tempted to mislead others, rather than add to the illusion, we must ask God to help us to be honest and authentic.

When we come upon a rat’s nest of lies and deceit, rather than turn away with blank face and trembling heart, we must rely on God to help us witness to what we know to be truth.

Good and honest God, you have allowed us to choose if and how we are to follow you. Guide us to see through the clever tricks of the expert weavers of lies and lead us to be merciful with those who dissemble out of fear. Protect us as we mark a straight path to you with the signs of our little and big sufferings. Lead us out of the maze of confusing dissembled responses others give to us. Give us the courage to speak candidly, to act compassionately, and to love into goodness those who would harm us with their dissembling words. We ask this of you who has created us, you who has shown us the way of authenticity, and you who abides within us always. Amen.

Cameron, Peter John. “Prayer for the Morning.” MAGNIFICAT. 13.6 (2011): 129-130. Print.

Image from: http://listverse.com/2007/08/20/top-10-bizarre-phobias/

A re-post from August 10, 2011.

September 1, 2025

authenticity, fear, forgiveness, honesty, Isaiah 43:1-2, Jonah 2:3, prayer, Sarah, trust, vulnerability

Exodus 17: In Our Midst

Exodus 17: In Our Midst

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Fear of abandonment is a horror that grips many and as a result lovers jilt one another so as not to be left by the other, parents abuse their children so as to not be disappointed, colleagues betray one another in order to keep a job, supervisors coerce workers in order to maintain complete control, friends disappear from relationships rather than work through conflict. We can imagine how the kingdom might bloom if we were to fully comprehend one single fact – we are never alone, God is with us always and so there is no need to allow the terror of rejection to govern us.

Christ brings us a message of inversion, as we have said in many Noontimes. He tells us that what is up in our physical world is actually down in his. The poor and the humble inherit, those who mourn rejoice, the hungry and thirsty are sated, and those who suffer persecution because of this belief reign. When any of my siblings or I complained of an injustice – perceived or real – my mother would remind us easily and with a smile: The first will be last . . . the master is the servant.

So if we are to live as if we believe in this first is last kingdom-building, we perceive abandonment as its inverted companion. Union. Christ is with us to remind us that the jilted are his special loves, the lost children his particular darlings, and the oppressed his best and closest friends. In today’s Noontime, God shows the Hebrew people how much they are loved. God tells them that they are not alone. God reminds them that they are unique and chosen loved ones; yet they do not understand. Across the millennia we hear their cry, see their pain, and we ask as the Hebrews did: Why do we suffer? Why do things like this happen? How are we to go on? We are still God’s stiff-necked people.

Water springing from a rock, manna and quail in the desert: God knows that there are hidden gifts in hard, dry places; God knows that manna gathers itself like dew in the desert morning; God knows that great flocks of quail migrate over the wilderness and come to ground to rest; yet we persist in disbelief. We continue to ask as the Hebrews ask: Is the Lord in our midst or not?

In verses 8 through 13 we watch Joshua defeat the army of Amalek as long as Moses keeps his hands raised. This story fascinated me as a child and I spent days lurking behind my brothers and sisters willing them to do things I wanted when I raised my hands to heaven. God in great wisdom did not answer those requests; but God has answered many more as God accompanies me on my journey.

After the defeat of the Amalekites, the Lord says to Moses: Write this down in a document as something to be remembered, and recite it in the ears of Joshua. In Old Testament language, the Lord tells the people that God will always be among them to defend them; God will not allow them to be wiped out. God tells them that they are not alone, and that God will bring goodness out of evil. Always.

We are never alone. We are constantly loved. We are rescued, comforted, healed and held. Always. Without fail. There are no circumstances and no people we need ever fear. The parched desert and the brutality of the Amalekites in our lives need not send us into panic because God is in our midst.

And so we too, can write this down . . . We have nothing to fear because the Lord will war against our enemies. Throughout the centuries.

Image from: http://gambolinman.blogspot.com/2007/10/southwest-usa-precious-water-abounds-in.html

July 15, 2025

abandonment, Beatitudes, fear, manna, Moses, quail, rejection, the first will be last, water from the rock

Numbers 14:8: From Grumbling to Peace

Numbers 14:8: From Grumbling to Peace

Monday, May 5, 2025

If the Lord is pleased with us, he will take us there and give us that rich and fertile land.

In Numbers 14, we hear murmurs among the people as they tire of wandering in the desert in expectation of a promised land where the faithful will flourish to pass down their fidelity to God through many generations. Although scholars find little evidence of this difficult, 40-year desert pilgrimage, we appreciate the desert wanderings of the twelve tribes of Hebrew peoples. Not only do they suffer physical hardship, they suffer mental distress as well. They wonder why they have left the comfort of a home where although they lived in slavery, they knew what to expect each day. Now in the desert, searching for water and food, and evading bands of marauders, they question the wisdom of following leaders shown to them by The Living God.

Our Old Testament thinking is binary; when we behave as God asks, God rewards us. When we do not, we expect punishment. Our New Testament thinking removes the fear of ancient ancestors as we remember Jesus’ words as recorded by John: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. (John 14:7)

God says: I know that you worry each morning as you rise about the thousands of details you tend to as you support a life of work, play and prayer. I know that you move through the day and into the evening juggling people and circumstances, numbers and facts, opposites and equals, clarity and confusion. I know that you think of me each night as you set up your evening tent and tuck into your bed. I know that you keep your eye on me as you traverse the deserts in your life; and for this I love you more than you can imagine. When you grumble, I hold you close. When you cry out, I am at your side. When you weep, I dry your tears. I am with you always. As Jesus tells you, do not let your hearts be troubled. Do I not go before you each day as a pillar of smoke? Do I not follow you each night as a pillar of fire?

Although we fear, we move forward in confidence. Although we complain, we step into each day with conviction. Although we doubt, we follow Christ with steadfastness. In this way, we allow God to convert our grumbling and fear into Christ’s calm and loving peace.

During the day the Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud to show them the way, and during the night he went in front of them in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel night and day. (Exodus 13:21)

For a reflection on the Book of Numbers, visit: https://thenoontimes.com/the-book-of-our-life/the-old-testament/the-torah/numbers-arrangement-of-the-tribes/

For a reflection on Numbers 14:1-4, enter the words Back to Egypt into the blog search bar.

To read about scholarly opinions on the Sinai wanderings, visit: https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/03/world/africa/03iht-moses.4.5130043.html

Images from: https://www.moroccotoptrips.com/traditional-berber-desert-camp-in-morocco/ and http://www.bible-history.com/maps/route_exodus.html

May 5, 2025

confidence, fear, John 14:7, pillar of smoke and fire, Twelve Tribes

Psalm 22: Spiritual Warfare – Abandoned by God

Psalm 22: Spiritual Warfare – Abandoned by God

Easter Friday, April 25, 2025

Adapted from a reflection, entitled Spiritual Warfare, written on Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2008.

On Veteran’s Day in the U.S., we celebrate the end of war. Today we reflect on Jesus’ death last Friday, and the silence that reigned in the Christian world last Saturday as Jesus transitioned from healing prophet to the Messiah Christ. If we are able to take the time to pause, we think a bit about the spiritual warfare in which we are all daily engaged. We consider the constant question of whether or not God has deserted a planet created for and in love. We reflect on the many times the world asks Christians, “Where is your God?” And so we pray.

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

While still on the cross, Christ appealed to the father with this prayer that generations of his people have used while addressing God in times of stress. In the NABRE the psalm bears the title Prayer of an Innocent Person. Jesus, the unblemished lamb, dies in innocence, in the act of bringing healing to peoples crying for relief. But Christ knew, as Paul tells us in Ephesians, Our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Paul describes the armor of God we must wear as we enter into the warfare each day: the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Our feet must be shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. (Ephesians 6)

Many bulls surround me; fierce bulls of Bashan encircle me.

Bashan – a land east of the Jordan noted for the size of its animals – provides fierce opposition to the life of a Christian. Again, Paul reminds us in his letter to Titus how to be consistent with sound doctrine, namely, that . . . [we] be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, love and endurance, reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to drink, teaching what is good, so that they may train [others]. (Titus 2) Paul also calls women to a role subordinate to men which was appropriate for the day – and which we now recognize as outmoded in its effect. The point here is that combat as we witness need not be fierce. It need only be faithful, prayer-filled, and consistent with the Gospel.

If we might find the minutes to pray this psalm today, we find not only the dark fear of abandonment, but also the burning hope of resurrection.

Tomorrow, proclaiming God’s name.

For more on the meaning of Bashan, visit: https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/bashan/ , http://biblehub.com/topical/b/bashan.htm , http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsMiddEast/SyriaBashan.htm, and https://www.britannica.com/place/Bashan

Image from: https://www.wikiart.org/en/francisco-de-zurbaran/agnus-dei-1640

For more on Zurbarán’s work Agnus Dei, visit The Prado site at: https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/agnus-dei/795b841a-ec81-4d10-bd8b-0c7a870e327b

April 25, 2025

abandonment, bulls of Bashan, Christ as armor, Ephesians 6, fear, hope, resurrection, Titus 2

1 Corinthians 15:35-58: Our Mode of Resurrection

1 Corinthians 15:35-38: Our Mode of Resurrection

Saturday, April 12, 2025

Christ has asked us to rise and go; and this we do with fidelity. We have felt the wrath of anger and a desire for revenge; and we have found hope of the Spirit’s justification. But what will be the manner of our transition from this life to the next? Can we explain it? Can we believe it? Can we share it’s promise with others?

It is likely that we have all pondered the resurrection at one time or another. We know that we have been sent to this earth to present to and for the world a unique face of God. Our face of God is what we sow, and it is also what we will reap. The Gospel evangelists tell us, by repeating Jesus’ words so succinctly and well, that we all are on a pilgrimage to the next world. Like the ten bridesmaids in one of Jesus’ many parables, we can choose to be prepared for the arrival of the bridegroom, or we can choose to burn our oil foolishly so that when he arrives we will not be present. We gain admittance to the Resurrection wedding feast by becoming incorruptible, but what does this incorruptibility look like? We remain steadfast and firm, faithful to God’s promises, hopeful in the Spirit’s wisdom, living God’s word as Jesus did, and by putting away our envy and pride. Once at the great feast, we will look around to see that all are equal, and – most importantly – we will be content with that fact. A famous Renaissance poet Jorge Manrique has written beautiful lines about his thoughts upon the death of his father, “Coplas a la muerte de mi padre.” He expresses this idea, “All of our lives are rivers – and all of these rivers, big and small, run to the sea . . . where they disappear into one another.” This might be our image of heaven as evoked by Paul in his letter to the Corinthians. Only those who have put away envy and pride, only those who have truly humbled themselves to obey will even be able to imagine such a place where we are all special – and where no one is more special than anyone else.

When Jesus speaks of John the Baptist in the Gospel of Matthew, he says that John is the greatest prophet of all time – even greater than Elijah; and yet, the least in heaven is greater than this great prophet. The least will be great, and greater than anything we can imagine.

So can we explain our mode of resurrection? Can we believe in Christ’s fidelity? Can we rely on the hope of the Spirit? Can we share the joy of God’s promise of resurrection?

Adapted from a reflection written on February 7, 2007.

Image from: https://www.jesuschristformuslims.com/support-us/

April 12, 2025

doubt, faith-hope-love, fear, God’s image, Jorge Manrique

Mark 15:29-32: Wrath and Justification

Mark 15:29-32: Wrath and Justification

Friday, April 11, 2025

As we explore the ways in which Jesus is the resurrection, we consider what we might do with our anger and our desire for revenge.

We looked at Mark 15 a little more than a year ago to reflect on the power we will find in offering our sacrifices for others and holding tightly to our trust in God. Today we see Jesus execute the greatest act of mankind: he hangs in pain from a cross while the crowds jeer at him and use his very acts of mercy as taunts against him. This reminds me of MAGNIFICAT’s Evening Prayer from Isaiah 53: Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear.

By his wounds we all are healed.

This is a tremendous act of self sacrifice and one that we will likely never have to make, again from MAGNIFICAT: Not all opposition to faithful Christian belief and life comes from the violent. Many voices, loud and subtle, argue against the idealism of the Gospel. Resisting the familiar, popular values and viewpoints which would undermine our discipleship can cause as much pain as enduring the more dramatic forms of persecution.

Jeremiah 18:20: Remember that I stood before you to speak in their behalf, to turn away your wrath from them.

The Wrath of God. We see it in the Old Testament narratives and in the Psalms so often. The calling down of God’s power against the wicked, the petition for annihilation of our enemies, and all of this ugliness turns to justification with the singular sacrifice made by Christ. All of the anger and fear are transformed through Christ into love. In his final moments, Christ does not feel his mother’s comforting caress upon his face. There is no warm bed, clean sheets or clothes. There is grinding, relentless pain. And then there are the jeers from the crowd, from the people he has come to save. But Christ is held by hands that are great enough and powerful enough to hold and comfort us all, the hands of God.

The MAGNIFICAT Evening Intercessions are apt.

To the God who delivered Jesus from death through resurrection, we pray: O God, hear our prayer.

For those who hate goodness and good people: grant them conversion of heart. O God, hear our prayer.

For those who suffer for their goodness: grant them strength to persevere. O God, hear our prayer.

For those who have died for their fidelity to the Gospel: grant them eternal life. O God, hear our prayer.

And we might add . . .

For ourselves, as we struggle to move away from wrath and revenge, may we move toward resurrection and light. O God, hear our prayer.

For our enemies, as they harbor fear and live for the thrill of pain, may they come to know the comfort of authentic love and passion. O God, hear our prayer.

For our loved ones, as they accompany us in our pilgrimage, may they always find protection and guidance in you who have loved us so well. O God, hear our prayer.

2 Samuel 2:6: May the Lord be kind and faithful to us.

And may we be kind and faithful to Christ as we see him in all of God’s creation. May we move from God’s wrath to justification. Amen.

Cameron, Peter John. “Prayer for the Evening.” MAGNIFICAT. 3.12 (2009). Print.

A favorite from March 12, 2009.

Image from: https://beyondtheborderlinepersonality.wordpress.com/2011/11/29/until-theres-nothing-left-self-sacrifice/

April 11, 2025

2 Samuel 2:6, anger, fear, Isaiah 53, Jeremiah 18:20, sacrificial love, trust God

Psalm 139: God’s Thoughts

Psalm 139: God’s Thoughts

Monday, February 24, 2025

As we approach the season of Lent, how willing are we to invite God into our most intimate thoughts? This beautiful song of invitation is a starting point when we struggle to open dialogs with the Lord.

God, investigate my life;
    get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an open book to you;
    even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
    I’m never out of your sight.
You know everything I’m going to say
    before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you’re there,
    then up ahead and you’re there, too—
    your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
    I can’t take it all in!

God is everywhere and in everything.

I look behind me and you’re there,
then up ahead and you’re there, too—

If I climb to the sky, you’re there!

If I go underground, you’re there!

God is in every moment and in every time.

It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you;
night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.

This lovely song of abiding is an authentic call to God when we search for words that express our meaning.

Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!
God, I’ll never comprehend them!

This divine hymn of opening is an honest cry to the Spirit when we hope to explore our relationship with the world.

Investigate my life, O God,
    find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
    get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
    then guide me on the road to eternal life.

When we fear that we do not measure up to the beauty and perfection of God, we might turn to this psalm to bridge any feeling of self-consciousness. When we offer our anxiety to the Lord, we begin to better understand God’s thoughts – despite their challenge, and despite our fears.

When we compare translations of this psalm, we find an opening to an honest dialog with the Almighty. Today’s verses are from THE MESSAGE.

Images from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/456200637255568241/

February 24, 2025

dialog, fear, relationships

Tag: fear

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