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.
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