There’s no place like home, they say. And it’s true that home is meant to be the place where we feel safe, loved, completely ourselves. But it is also true that the safety and shelter that a home provides can be to our disadvantage if we desire only to rest in our comfort zone and not face the uncertain world out there. Jesus speaks of this when he tells his disciples, “each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave me alone.” Fear scatters, alienates and separates us at times from what or whom we love the most.
In spite of the hard truth he speaks, Jesus has comforting words for us. “Take courage, I have conquered the world.” We will have troubles and difficulties, but we follow the One who is meek and humble of heart, the One who has conquered the world. When fear comes wishing to isolate us from the world, let us turn to Christ. Only he can draw us out to encounter the world and make it a place where all can feel safe, loved, and completely themselves.