Be not afraid

That was the message of the angel to the shepherds over two millennia ago. Out in the field with their sheep, ready to bed down for the night, keeping warm as best they could, shepherds were not exactly the most obvious choice to receive that most important announcement. After all, shepherds were generally uneducated and rough, itinerant NPAs (no permanent address) since they moved around wherever the sheep could graze and thus were not exactly pillars of society.

So when an angel appeared out of the sky and “the glory of the Lord” shown around them, of course they were afraid; terrified, in fact, the Bible records (Luke 2:9). But the angel reassured them – “Be not afraid” – and went on to give them the most wonderful news: the birth of the long-awaited Messiah. “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-12)

And not only that; the angel was then joined by a “great company of the heavenly host,” an entire barangay of angels, all singing praises to God. Imagine what it must have been like for the shepherds, out there in the field in the cold, dark night, then angels appear with an incredible announcement. Could these shepherds have ever in their wildest dreams imagined that an angel would appear to them in such a glorious extravaganza?

But the angel’s assurance – be not afraid – was enough, for after that majestic angelic spectacle, the shepherds decided to act: “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So go to Bethlehem they did, and found Mary and Joseph and the baby in the manger. And then they did what any blogger or YouTuber of today would have done: they went around town and told everybody about it.

Did the townsfolk believe what these NPAs were saying? The Bible says the people were “amazed.” There is no record that any of them went to the stable to see for themselves if what the shepherds said was true – that the Messiah had been born.

Whether the people believed it or not, the point is that the shepherds, no longer afraid, became the bearers of the greatest news on earth.

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The phrase “Be not afraid” has been running through my mind the past few days, ever since a friend told his story – a testimony really – about how the hymn “Be not afraid” was used by God to quiet his fear when he was faced with two dire medical circumstances.

The first was when his first grandchild was about to be born, it was discovered that bile was leaking into the womb and could seriously affect the mental faculty of the baby. Alone on the long drive home (since he was not allowed to remain in the hospital), fear as dark as the night gripped him. He turned on the car radio and the hymn “Be not afraid” played, over and over in a loop, and a peace beyond understanding replaced the fear. And guess what? His grandson is now almost 10 years old, as rambunctious and smart-alecky and lovable as they come.

A couple of months ago, that same friend received a cancer diagnosis. A flurry of consultations with different doctors, test upon test followed. And then again, after 10 years, that hymn unexpectedly played on Spotify. At his point of need, of uncertainty and fear, God said, “Be not afraid.”

And not only was the fear dispelled, God had the treatment plan all worked out, against all my friend’s arrangements. A chance encounter in a hospital elevator with a friend he hadn’t seen in years started a chain of events that led to a successful surgery and an amazing recovery.

We had lunch the other day, just three weeks after his surgery, and it was like nothing happened and he was his same old self. Except for the realization that God is in full control, and there is no need to be afraid.

The hymn “Be not afraid” was written by Bob Dufford, a Jesuit priest, in 1975 and is based on two passages of Scripture, Isaiah 43:2-3 and Luke 6:20; do look up the verses. The hymn’s chorus goes: “Be not afraid, I go before you always. Come, follow me, and I will give you rest.”

We are facing uncertain, perilous times. Corruption in government is even more rampant and entrenched than anyone – even the President – imagined. Greed is not only not moderated, it seems to be insatiable, with a budget still stuffed with pork – albeit “soft pork” – despite high-sounding pronouncements that the 2026 budget is a lean one, with all vestiges of pork, insertions and even allocables excised. But from what came out of the livestreamed bicam, that is not quite what happened – pork is very much around, it just has new names and new justifications.

In the meantime, the average Filipino – you and I who do not receive cash in suitcases or get any allocable – struggles day in and day out, faced with ever rising prices of food and most everything else, including costly health care that PhilHealth does not cover despite supposedly having excess funds that it generously shared with the national treasury.

But just like the shepherds, just like my friend and countless others – myself included – who have faced great distress or frightening circumstances and have been gripped, almost paralyzed, by fear, may the words of this hymn banish that fear with the certainty that God, as He has through the ages, will surely be with you. Let us then celebrate, without fear but with great joy, the birth of Jesus, for He is Emmanuel, God with us.