Fear Not 220

Beloved brethren in Christ, as we gather under the shadow of the Cross in these days of trial, let us hearken to the words of the blessed Psalmist: 'May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you...' (Psalm 70:4). In the historical context of ancient Israel, David composed this psalm amid persecution, fleeing from Absalom or Saul, crying out for swift deliverance while affirming that true joy resides not in earthly rescue but in the seeking of the Lord Himself. The Early Church Fathers, drawing from this sacred text amid Roman arenas and catacomb gatherings, saw therein a prophecy of our own afflictions. St. Augustine, in his Enarrations on the Psalms, expounds that those who seek God with a pure heart discover an inner gladness surpassing all worldly mirth, for the soul finds its rest in the Eternal One who was, is, and shall be. Likewise, from the Catena Aurea traditions echoed by the Venerable Bede and Cassiodorus, this verse aligns with the Gospel calls to seek first the Kingdom, where persecution yields to rejoicing as in the Acts of the Apostles, when the disciples 'rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name' (Acts 5:41). In the patristic witness, seeking the Lord means turning from idols of power and pleasure—much as the martyrs renounced Caesar's divinity—to embrace the poverty of spirit that Christ blesses. Historical persecutions under Diocletian tested this seeking, yet the faithful rejoiced, their gladness a beacon against despair. Thus, dear flock, amid our modern vanities, let us seek Him in prayer, Scripture, and sacrament, that we may be glad in His salvation, our hearts enlarged by divine love rather than contracted by fear. For as the Fathers teach, such rejoicing is the foretaste of heavenly beatitude, where all seekers behold the Face of God eternally. #FearNot220 #FearNotUNPLUGGED #199of220 #Catholic