Saturday June 18, 2022

For you this week:

• Reflection for Saturday: How to defeat 3 traps of fear
• Inside the Ministry: And now, covid too.
• This week’s WordBytes faith-builder: What Motivates You During Tough Times?

This week’s Trivia Challenge: What was the name of the king of ancient Salem who was also a high priest and foreshadowed Jesus? (Check your answer at the end of this newsletter.)

Saturday June 18, 2022

2 Chronicles 24:17-25
Ps 89:4-5,29-34
Matthew 6:24-34
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061822.cfm
Podcast:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/2022-06-18

Saints Calendar:
gnm.org/saints-find/saints-calendar

“So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ … Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.” (From Saturday’s Gospel reading)

Reflection for Saturday: How to defeat 3 traps of fear

When we understand what it means to be loved by Abba-Father, fear dissipates. How much anxiety we have is an indicator of how well we understand (or remember) Abba’s love. To overcome anxiety, first identify the misconceptions you’re believing about God, then ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with the truth about each misconception.

Fear does not want us to know that the Father cares so much about us that he wants what is truly best for us. Examine the role that fear has been playing in your life. Ask yourself, “What’s keeping me from fully trusting in God’s goodness toward me? How does fear play into this?”

Then look at Jesus. He readily gave miracles to all who asked for help. Why? Because Abba-Father desired to provide the miracles.  Jesus told us that if we have a close relationship with the Father, we will receive whatever we need.

Fear says this is not true. Fear says that God will disappoint us. Which voice do you believe?

The traps of fear are rampant, but the love of the Father is always abundant.

Fear’s trap #1: If you react by taking matters into your own hands, you’re believing lies about God.

Defeat the fear: One good way to overcome this is to find scriptures that show God handling a bigger problem. Since he did that for those people in the Bible, he will certainly help you; after all, he gave his Son Jesus to you knowing full well that Jesus would have to suffer and die for you.

Fear’s trap #2: If you entrust the problem to God and then take it back by worrying about it, fear is telling you that God can’t or won’t do enough good with it.

Defeat the fear: The best way to deal with this is to see yourself as God’s partner in dealing with the problem. What can you do to help solve the problem? Pray about it. Convert the energy of worry into an action plan. Then sit with it for a while before acting upon it, waiting to find out if the Holy Spirit anoints the plan with divine energy. You’ll know when that happens, because divine energy brings with it joy and hope and opportunities to implement the plan.

Fear’s trap #3: If you repeatedly complain or lose your temper, you haven’t let Abba heal your wounds. Your complaints are a cry for help. Your temper is a cry of pain.

Defeat the fear: Let God heal you through a counselor or a good friend who is solid in the Faith or through a spiritual director.

In my book, The Father’s Heart, I name 6 fear traps and how to defeat them. Today’s reflection was excerpted from Day 6: The Father Heals Us of Fear. To get your own copy of this very healing book, go to tothefathersheart.com.

Inside the Ministry: And now, covid too

I’m at the end of two weeks of suffering from covid. It’s the first time since the founding of Good News Ministries in 1995 that I’ve had to take so much time off for illness.

Ralph picked up the virus the last time he was in the hospital. And then I got it from him. We had avoided covid all this time, without the vaccine, by using common sense measures in protection. But Ralph was vulnerable in the hospital.

The past two weeks have felt like 40 days and 40 nights in the desert. The new “Terry’s Corner” and plans for new podcast episodes have been on hold. Everything else is in slow motion.

I look forward to finding out what blessings God has in mind to bring forth from this!

Thank you for your prayer support.

This week’s recommended faith-builder:
What Motivates You During Tough Times?

Every day, in our sincerity to follow Christ, we need to make an honest examination of what our behaviors and moods indicate about our faith. Do you really and truly believe that God is holy and that he is merciful? Mary’s Magnificat describes two attributes of God that make everything else in it true and truly possible in my life and yours: He is holy and he is merciful. Yes, we believe that! So then why doesn’t our faith in God let us relax and rejoice while we wait for our prayers to be answered?

For deeper insights into this, visit wordbytes.org/faith/motivates-in-tough-times.

WordBytes is a library of Catholic faith-building articles by Good News Ministries. Come on in and explore! Visit WordBytes.org today.

Explore our Catholic Video Library for Faith Growth

How do you want to grow your faith today? Try these Catholic videos by Good News Ministries!

• Footsteps to Heaven
• Guest Spots
• Terry & Ralph’s Good News for Today
• Quick Faith-builders with Terry Modica
• God’s Amazing Word for Miracles
• God’s Radical Love for Marriage
• Come Holy Spirit!
• Praying with Power
• How to Pray in the Power of the Holy Spirit
• Go Deeper into Holy Mass
• Take, Eat, Drink: Understanding the Catholic Mass
• How to Turn Your Crosses Into Resurrections
• The Apostolate of the Laity in the Church Crisis
• Personal Testimonies
• Prayer Meditations
• Meditations without Words

Answer to this week’s Trivia Challenge:
What was the name of the king of ancient Salem who was also a high priest and foreshadowed Jesus? Melchizedek. (Genesis 14:18-20)

God bless you!

Every morning, I lift up in prayer everyone who helps Good News Ministries in any way (donors, volunteers, prayer supporters, etc.) and all the prayer requests posted on our site. What can I cover in prayer for you? Post your prayer request.

How else can the team and I serve you today? Visit our homepage.

Let’s connect in GNM’s own SmartCatholics community, called Good News Faith Builders. I’m available to interact with you there.

Thank you for reading this newsletter.

Your servant in Christ,
Terry Modica, Executive Director
Good News Ministries
gnm.org

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