Have you ever heard of the "Febs"? This is how a friend of mine describes the month of February. He sees February as a gloomy month.
Winter is at its height. Arctic winds and temperatures bite our faces. Snow piles in the streets. Our mornings are long in darkness. We wish spring would get here and wipe it all away. These feelings my friend calls the "Febs."
On life's journey we also have momentary feelings called the Febs. We feel isolated by our pains and hurts. We are encircled by stormy decisions and others' coldness. We trample over roads blocked by snows of opposition and the darkness of misunderstanding. These times can be labeled our personal "February," and the experiences, the Febs. However, just as spring replaces February, the Good News of Jesus' presence helps us through life's Febs. Jesus promises to be always with us even "until the end of time." These are consoling words, especially when we are in our darkest and coldest moments.
It is the warmth and the light of Jesus which gets us through. And Jesus does "get us through." Jesus doesn't want harm to befall us. Yet when it does, He envelops us with the care of His words and the concern of His compassion. Jesus is the cure for our personal Febs.
St. Francis de Sale didn't talk about the Febs, but knew the idea! When we feel we have the Febs, he recommends this: "Do not be afraid! Jesus who gives you the desire to do good will help you do it."
A Reading from Romans 1:17
“The Good News tells us how God accepts everyone who has faith, but only those who have faith. It is just as the Scriptures say, “The people whom God accepts because of their faith will live.”