This is Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington. St. Paul says: “I should like you to be free of anxieties.” We may ask: “How is that possible with the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, with the tensions we see each day; with the pressures and demands place upon us; with the concerns we have for ourselves and others? Being free of anxieties is not just a hope or dream. It is possible even in these challenging times. It requires total dependency on the Lord, the one whose grace calms our fears and hears our burdens and promises never to abandon us. Remember Jesus being on the boat with his disciples and they became afraid when the storm arose. He said to them: “Do not be terrified.” It is I. If we remember that Jesus is in the boat with us, especially during stormy days, we will be free from anxieties.