Reflection by Rev. Msgr. Joseph Reilly, S.T.L., Ph.D.
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The other day I came across an expression I had never heard or read before – “flee forward.” It was in an article about a priest who is ministering in a difficult and dangerous situation. He wrote: “I think I’ve learned to flee forward, [instead of running away from a problem to face it head on]. I’ve learned not to be taken captive by fear.”
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I guess the expression jumped out at me and got under my craw because it struck a nerve in me and in my own life. Sometimes when things get difficult or when I feel like I’m getting overwhelmed, my first response can be to escape, to avoid, to control, or to compensate. Getting out of Dodge seems like a good idea. But all these reactions are just that - allowing my will to be taken captive by fear.
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If I’m going to face things head on, I need to know I’m not alone, that God is with me. I need to bring to mind God’s love and Providence … and trust! This does not come easily but is the fruit of patience and perseverance. Fleeing forward only happens over time and is a consequence of God’s grace working in my life and in the circumstances of my life.
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Maybe you and I could take heart as we enter the fifth week of Lent. Perhaps fleeing forward isn’t just a nice new expression. For all we know, it could be just what we need to hear at this moment. It’s time for us to stop running away out of fear and avoiding those things that are eating at our hearts. God is beckoning us to face him head on - to turn to his face and find hope and healing, strength and purpose, love, mercy, and peace.
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Rev. Msgr. Joseph Reilly, S.T.L., Ph.D., Vice Provost for Academics and Catholic Identity Seton Hall University and Rector/Dean Emeritus, Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology. He holds a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, a licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL) from Pontificio Istituto Teresianum, Rome, and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Fordham University. He has served as a member of the Archdiocesan Priest Personnel Board, the Advisory Committee on Continuing Education and Ongoing Formation of Priests, the Archdiocesan Vocations Board, and the Board of Trustees of Seton Hall University. Pope John Paul II named him a Chaplain to His Holiness in 2005, with the title of Reverend Monsignor. In 2016 during the Holy Year of Mercy, the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization sought priests who were living signs "of the Father's welcome to all those in search of His forgiveness." He was the only priest from the Archdiocese of Newark formally commissioned as a Missionary of Mercy by Pope Francis.
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