Be Afraid!
Don’t be afraid!
It’s become so popular, it’s been repeated so many times, that it’s almost become trite to even say it.
Yes, it is the most repeated phrase in all of Scripture. Yes, the great Saint and personal hero of mine, John Paul II made it his mantra. And yes, in this day and age with the increased mental fragility of the world, this remains an important aspirational call from God.
With that being said, there is an aspect of the popular application of this phrase that doesn’t capture the fullness of what Jesus teaches about fear. It’s common for commentators and keynote speakers to speak of fear as if all fear is bad. Or as if, the closer to God you get, the less fear you have in life.
That’s true and it’s not true. The closer to God you become, fear decreases AND increases.
Natural, biological fear, that is fear of what you will eat, where you will sleep, what you will wear, what others think of you, and, ultimately, fear of death itself will decrease. And in its place a freedom and a deep trust in the providence and love of God will grow in its place.
But supernatural fear, that is the fear of the consequence of sin will increase. The closer to God you get, the more you will become aware of just how serious and potentially destructive a temptation to sin can be.
There are certain scripture passages we love to quote and others we love to ignore. One of the passages we love to ignore is the one where Jesus says, “Do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
Jesus doesn’t advocate for the elimination of all fear, He tries to orient fear in its proper direction. Moreover, He invites His followers to leverage fear for the salvation of their soul.
This is one of the primary areas where the emotional and spiritual life overlap. It is of utmost importance to learn how to no longer be afraid of experiencing the temporal consequences of life on earth and, instead, to channel fear, not eliminate it, in the direction of temptation and sin.
Fear lust, envy, pride, greed, wrath, gluttony and sloth. Fear what they can do to your soul. Fear the eternal impact they can have on you and the world around you.
So yes, don’t be afraid of how things will work out in your life. All of it is from the hand of God and all of it can be used for your own sanctification and the sanctification of the world. And yes, be afraid. Be afraid of sin. And let that fear keep you vigilant over the state of your soul. Let it drive you to turn toward God and away from sin in every moment and in every way.
