Recently, Pope Francis told us, “Do not be afraid,” (the May 18 edition of the Catholic News Herald). It is a message from Jesus to His disciples, and it is a message for us. Yet, there is “fear” that is necessary and proper – fear of the Lord.
“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, and who walk in His way,” Psalm 128 tells us. This isn’t an argument that we should live our lives in fear, but that we should live our lives so we don’t live in fear. A child that cleans up his or her room or does the dishes does this partly to avoid the wrath of their parents who told them to do so or they would lose the privileges of TV, their smartphone, or having time to play with their friends. By fearing their parents, they learn discipline, respect and love – all from expectations (even if the parents’ love is unconditional). When we fail to love, disrespect, or openly disobey our parents’ rules, we distance ourselves from our parents and from God. And we should not live in fear. In fact, we should live in confidence that God’s love will win over the Evil One and the demons that distance us from Him.
But we should fear God as we do a loving parent, trusting that His rules, the Ten Commandments, and His New Commandment to “love one another as I have loved you” will bring us into unity with Him – even if through fear. “His mercy is from age to age to those who fear Him” (Lk 1:50).
Jon Gauthier is a parishioner at St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte and author of “Embracing Goodness: How Life Works.”