Fear and Loathing in America

Okay, that title may be an exaggeration, but I risked it for its slight resemblance to a cult film with a somewhat analogous name. However, this sentiment does stem from a conversation I recently had with a close friend of mine, who is Catholic as well.We were discussing the recent foiled terrorist plot in Heathrow and the scare surrounding the fast-approaching August 22. What really struck me about this conversation is how sharply divided it was from other conversations I had been hearing around me on television and in everyday life.

What I had heard, until this conversation, was an intense feeling of dread or an steadfast avoidance of any information about this date. Some said it will be the end of the world or a severe attack will occur that could cripple America, and their focus was on what they were doing to prepare for survival in a post-apocalyptic (pardon the paradox) world. The other side I heard was the “Oh, I’m sure it’s nothing,” or the “I don’t really know much about it,” camp.

What I hadn’t heard in the general public yet was the sentiment echoed at least every Sunday in churches of many denominations. Thy will be done. During the conversation with my friend the main topic was that what may seem unbearable is not unbearable in actuality. God does not give us more than we can handle with His grace. We also reasoned that while destruction of these kinds and terrorist attacks could be captained by Satan, he is only as powerful as God allows.

Of course preparing spiritually is important. We both have plans for Reconciliation on Saturday and Mass on Sunday and Tuesday. Like I said, we can handle challenges with God’s grace, though that grace must actively be sought in certain forms such as the Eucharist and Reconciliation. However, I feel that no matter what occurs in the future, I will be spiritually fortified by God and the Church to the point that fear does not enter my mind as a valid emotion surrounding these times of world crisis.

That is not to say, however, that I have no selfish wishes. I want to live to be old and die peacefully in my sleep. Between then and now I want to marry and have children too. But these truly are more selfish thoughts than anything else, because it comes back down to that one simple phrase of which it is all to easy to lose sight: Thy will be done.