“We must not be afraid of problems.” That’s the word from Pope Francis in a homily he gave this morning at a Mass for workers in the Vatican. “Workers”, meaning security guards and firemen, not bureaucrats (who also work, but it’s nice to see the Pope dedicating time to the rest of the crew as well).
I haven’t found the full homily text yet, but Vatican Radio gives a lot of the text, and I love it! He has great lines, like, “When there are difficulties, we need to look closely at them, and confront them and speak about them. But never hide them.”
Further on, he said
We must not be afraid of problems: Jesus himself said to his disciples: ‘It is I. Do not be afraid’. In life’s difficulties, with problems, with new things that we must face: the Lord is always with us. We may make mistakes, certainly, but he is always with us and says: ‘You made a mistake, now get back on the right path (…) Masquerading life, disguising life, is not a very good way to behave: no no. Life is what it is, that’s the reality. It’s exactly as God wants it to be, or as God allows it to be, it is what it is, and we have to accept it as it is. And the Spirit of the Lord will give us the solution to our problems.
If there’s anything I’ve learned after the whole mess with the hidden life of the founder of the Legion of Christ, and the way that was handled in the Legion when the truth started to leak out, it is exactly what the Pope said: we have to accept reality for what it is, face up to it with honesty to ourselves and to others, and seek God’s help to find solutions to our problems. Denial is not helpful!
The Vatican Radio report concludes:
Pope Francis repeated the words of Jesus to his disciples: “It is I, do not be afraid!” In our darkest moments, when we don’t know what to do, we must always remember these words of Jesus. Thus, concluded Pope Francis, we should learn to take life as it comes with the help of the Holy Spirit. “In this way we can move forward, certain of being on the right path.
We ask the Lord for this grace: to not be afraid, to not falsify life, to take life as it comes and look to resolve problems as the Apostles did, and also seek out the encounter with Jesus who always at our side, even in the darkest moments of life.
Amen! That is the path I am trying to take in my life. It is leading me to some tough decisions, but I am striving not to be afraid, to trust in the Lord, and tackle my new situation since starting the process of leaving the Legion, with the personal difficulties it has entailed, head-on with honesty, prayer, and trust.
Please keep me in your prayers!
Perpetual Learner 
I agree with the Poe Francis and his statement as I found this to be true in my life when I talked to a priest about a problem that bothered me for years.
I am praying for you!