By Sister Stefanie MacDonald, OSB

Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. – John 14:27

Oh, boy, did this line jump out at me recently. It was as if Jesus was talking directly to me as I weighed the events of the world: wars, acts of terror, shootings.

In fact, Jesus is talking to all of us. He is asking us to examine our responses to frightening events.

Do we close ourselves off? Do we stay home? Do we choose isolation, just in case “something” might happen?

What would Jesus do????

We know what he would do. He would do what we are called to do: to be aware and prayerful as we help and greet all as Christ.

We can’t do that with fear in our hearts. We can’t do that if we close ourselves off to the world.

When frightening events happen, we are called by the indwelling God to return to our hearts and know peace. From that safe haven, we can change the world.