Thursday, April 4, 2019

The two types of fear, Part Two: bad fear


In the last post, we discussed what constitutes good and holy fear.  We defined this type of fear as a fear of us doing something to offend the good and holy God.  This fear is the natural progression, as we grow in the spiritual life, from fear of punishment from God, to fear of going to hell, to fear of offending him because of who He is, to the aforementioned fear of us doing something offend him.  (Note the focus of this “topline” fear is on us, not of God.)

In this post, we will discuss the bad type of fear, the one we have too much in the world of today (the opposite of the good fear, which we do not have nearly enough of.)    This bad type of fear is referenced often in Scripture, here are some examples:

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.

 Matthew 6:34 So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

 Joshua 1:9 I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Matthew 14:27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”



There are many more quotes like this in the Bible, but you get the point.  The Lord wishes us not be afraid.   Saint John Paul II, in his first address, quoted Our Lord, “Be not afraid!”

What are things we should not be afraid of?    The Bible lists many.

1)      The past and the future   We should entrust the past to God’s mercy, and the future to His Providence.  Our focus should be on today.

2)      Not being loved   God loves each of us, no matter what, no matter who we are, what we have done, or the lack of human love in our own lives if that be the case

3)      Evil   The evil in the world, as well as any evil in our own hearts, should not overwhelm us.  God, through the victory of Jesus, has overcome the world.

4)      Death   Death cannot separate us from God.  The martyrs, and Our Lord Jesus Christ, attest to this.

5)      Lack of resources  We should cast all our worries on the Lord, including those about finances.  He provides all we need.  

6)      Our own inadequacies/shortcomings  We are “wonderfully made.”   God does not make mistakes.  He put in our DNA all we need to do what He has planned for us in this life.

7)      The fate of our loved ones   We do all we can for them, and then we need to entrust them to the Lord.   Let Him take care of them after we have done all we can.



Worrying causes us to be anxious.   God does not want us to be anxious.   Anxiety cannot add a day to our lives.   The things of this world are not worth worrying about.   Worrying can hinder us from doing and being all that we are capable of in the eyes of God.   We need to love God with all our hearts, and that will cast out the bad fear.



May we have a holy, filial fear of God, a good fear that will drive away all bad fear, and live lives as a result not in worry, but in peace and joy.



Joseph most strong, pray for us.