Fear is a fact of life. Babies are instinctively afraid of falling. They throw their arms into the air and arch their backs if they are not bundled tightly. Young children eye the closet or the space under the bed as home of the monster or bogeyman. They refuse to walk down the dark hall or go into the basement alone. They insist on a night-light.

Teenagers like us to think they are fearless. But they have seen the movies and watch the news. They walk with trepidation into the darkened house or through the parking lot to their car late at night. They make sure the windows are locked before going to bed and sometimes sleep with the radio or television on so they do not feel alone.

Grown women, mothers used to reassuring their children, lie awake at night when husbands are away. They hear every bump in the night and mentally review every door and window to be sure they are locked, so that no one may break in and harm them or their families.

Older people sometimes have more than one lock on their entry doors to be sure they are safe and secure. They, too, watch the news. They remember when times were easier and safer and they worry about keeping the "bad guys" away.

Maybe we watch too much "Law and Order" or view too many violent scary movies or perhaps we choose to focus on the negative rather than the positive in this world. Most of us live full lives and die of old age. Our daily fears are often unfounded. The "bad guys" are not out to get us and do not wait around every corner. Ordinary precautions are enough to keep us safe most of the time.

However, we face a new fear: terrorism. It is not possible to take precautions because we have no idea how to protect ourselves. Airplanes and commuter trains have become objects of fear. What if terrorists target my flight, my train or my building? It happened once and we are hearing that it will happen again.

How can we live wondering if the mall will be blown up as we try on a dress, or as our children innocently eat burgers at MacDonald's? If we give in to the fears of terrorism we will never go on a vacation, attend a large sporting event or get on an airplane to go visit our grandchildren. We will become neurotic about dying a violent death at the hands of the unknown and unseen terrorist.

Father William John Fitzgerald, in his book, "Living in the Shadow of Terror" (Twenty-third Publications), offers spiritual ways to cope and grow in spite of the fears. It is a small paperback book, simple to read, full of insight, challenge and practical suggestions. It would be worthwhile used as a private personal experience or for group discussion at the parish level as each chapter ends with discussion questions.

The book begins with 12 disciplines for living spiritually. Each discipline serves as a challenging Lenten reflection especially this year as we experience heightened terrorism and terrorism threats throughout the world.

Father Fitzgerald encourages the reader to put fear aside and give faith, hope and love the leadership roles in his or her life. He reminds us that we face terror every day in the form of illness, divorce, loss of our economic base, depression and sometimes just facing the routine of each day. In reality it is more likely we will face these before we face the blast of the terrorist's bomb.

He advises caution because terror generates hate, revenge and despair, and even if we are not personally touched by the terrorism we can still succumb to the hate and revenge if it touches those around us. Giving into these takes us on a path directly away from God.

As we experience a higher level of alert to terrorism and feel the fear that goes along with that, it is important to stay connected to other people. We cannot change the world, but we can take care of each other. We can work to feed the poor and house the homeless. We can vote for candidates who will see that wages are just and medical care is available to everyone and who will work relentlessly for peaceful solutions to world problems.

Anne Hansen is a parent education consultant and a parishioner at Blessed Junípero Serra Church, Camarillo. Her e-mail address is familymail@aol.com.