I wonder about the fear. Fear is a real, visceral experience that neuters the prefrontal cortex so that we cannot think clearly--our world literally shrinks. We are hardwired for survival. Fear is often a product of (remembering) our experiences. But as you intimate, fear is also born of our *minds*, especially in a modern age in which we aren't being chased by predators--or sharks.
We tell ourselves and others the stories of our lives...stories to which we have become attached, stories that are based on a perspective or paradigm that we accept as truth. But do we see truth? Do we *see* at all? I tried a well-known experiment of describing what bothered me most (about someone/something) and then answered the following four questions:
1) Is it true?
2) Can I absolutely know that it is true?
3) How do I react when I believe that thought?
4) What would I be without that thought?
It was a humbling experience, and quickly pulled me deep under the surface of my thoughts/beliefs into much larger truths. Fear naturally seems to run amuck in the mind, which is where many of us live day-to-day. I don't know what the answer is, but maybe questioning what we believe, with God's help, is a beginning.
Fr. Ponton, you were such a gift at our school, and I'm glad you'll be able to serve these churches in your new role. May God continue to bless your work!
This is a beautiful sermon, wow.
I wonder about the fear. Fear is a real, visceral experience that neuters the prefrontal cortex so that we cannot think clearly--our world literally shrinks. We are hardwired for survival. Fear is often a product of (remembering) our experiences. But as you intimate, fear is also born of our *minds*, especially in a modern age in which we aren't being chased by predators--or sharks.
We tell ourselves and others the stories of our lives...stories to which we have become attached, stories that are based on a perspective or paradigm that we accept as truth. But do we see truth? Do we *see* at all? I tried a well-known experiment of describing what bothered me most (about someone/something) and then answered the following four questions:
1) Is it true?
2) Can I absolutely know that it is true?
3) How do I react when I believe that thought?
4) What would I be without that thought?
It was a humbling experience, and quickly pulled me deep under the surface of my thoughts/beliefs into much larger truths. Fear naturally seems to run amuck in the mind, which is where many of us live day-to-day. I don't know what the answer is, but maybe questioning what we believe, with God's help, is a beginning.
Fr. Ponton, you were such a gift at our school, and I'm glad you'll be able to serve these churches in your new role. May God continue to bless your work!