By Fr. Mike ParaniukSt. Mary Catholic ChurchHillsboro

You know what scares me the most about this COVID-19 virus? It is not the physical pain the virus causes. It is the spiritual pain.

I believe the devil is using the virus to spread discord, chaos, division and anger among Gods people. Peoples emotions are frayed and frustrated. Money is tight. Benefits for those laid off will be ending soon. If schools do not open, how can a family afford day care?

St. Mary School will open in August with plans in place to protect children and our teachers. But there are no guarantees against a future disruption. The flu season in October combined with a resurging COVID could close all schools again.

An old Cherokee told his grandson: "My son, there's a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It lives off fear. The other is Good. It lives on love."

The boy thought about it and asked: "Grandfather, which wolf wins?"

The old man quietly replied: "The one you feed."

The devil is tempting us to feed the evil wolf with fear. Fear is the fertilizer that will make the seeds of weeds grow in our soul. The devils weeds will try to destroy the good seed.

God plants in us the good seed of His Love. He put it in your soul when you were baptized. Every act of love you do feeds the good wolf. Two things happen when you chose love. First, the good seed God put in you will grow. It will produce the good fruits of patience, tolerance, forgiveness, and gentleness.

We need those fruits now more than ever. What I see is a spreading spiritual disease of us versus them. People different than me are to be feared. This way of thinking feeds fear, produces separation and fosters hate. The devil loves this. I can just hear him whispering, Be very very afraid

So how do we get rid of fear? The second thing that happens in choosing love is that it can defeat fear. 1 John 4:18 says, There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. Perfect love is complete love. It is a love that trusts God completely.

When you trust God, you refuse to give into fear. If you really believe that God is good, then you believe that God has no desire to punish you. He doesnt have a computer with a smite button on it. There is no reason to fear. You dont have to be afraid of the storm in your life. I love this line from Mark 4:37-38 Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped. But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a pillow. Trusting God means you believe God can take the worst thing in your life and make it right. God says Sleep well. Be at peace. Ill take care of it.

Do not be fooled. We are now in a spiritual warfare. The devil is using this virus take you away from God. The devil wants to destroy your trust in God. A battle is raging for your soul. You have two choices: fear or love. If you chose fear, you feed the devils weed of separating your soul from God and one another. If you choose love, you feed the flower of Gods Spirit that will give you solace in the midst of woe.

I close with a thought about hummingbirds. Last year, I fed three hummingbirds. One male and two females. I enjoyed their chirping with wings buzzing over my head. Before migrating back to Mexico in October, the male hummingbird flew right up to my face. He stayed there for a while, suspended in air. It was like he was saying, Thanks, but gotta go.

With that, all three birds were gone. I heard that hummers would come back to the same feeder they left in the spring. I waited through April and May. No hummers came to my sugar water feeder. Sixty percent of these birds die while flying over the Gulf of Mexico. I guess mine didnt make it.

On Fathers Day June 21, I sat on my porch watching an empty feeder. A male hummer slowly glided up to the feeder, sticking his long black tongue into the little plastic flower to slurp the sugar. He flew around my head as if to say, Glad to be back.

Then the two females came right behind him. I could tell by their distinct mannerisms my peeps had returned to daddy. I was so happy. Then I thought, If these three hummers like me so much they traveled 4,000 miles to come back to me, how much more does God love me who traveled billions of miles across the universe to be with me now during this difficult time?

I truly have nothing to fear.

Original post:

God's grace can ease the spiritual pain of COVID-19 - The Highland County Press