As an elementary school student learning about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, I always found myself stumbling over the seventh gift: Fear of the Lord. A frightening gift, to say the least. The other gifts 鈥� wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge and piety 鈥� seemed expansive, aimed at increasing God鈥檚 very self alive within us. Filled with these great gifts, we were then sent out into the world to do God鈥檚 good work.
Fear, on the other hand, is paralyzing. Fear keeps us from flourishing. Fear doesn鈥檛 send us out; fear closes us in. That鈥檚 not what God desires, : 鈥淸Fear of the Lord] does not mean being afraid of God: we know well that God is Father, that he loves us and wants our salvation, and he always forgives, always; thus, there is no reason to be scared of him!鈥�
Somewhere along the way, my catechetical books began to replace Fear of the Lord with Wonder and Awe. In truth, no matter how this particular gift is articulated, the underlying point is the same: God is so great, so far beyond our wildest imaginings, so mysterious and wondrous, that the only proper disposition with which to approach God is one of profound amazement, awe, wonder. If there鈥檚 anything to be afraid of, it鈥檚 that of being separated from God鈥檚 great love. We recognize how utterly, how necessarily dependent upon God we truly are, and so we stand filled with both trepidation and delight that God continues to draw us near.
And God does draw us near. Jesus himself comes to the apostles across the raging sea. 鈥淭ake courage, it is I; do not be afraid.鈥� (Mt 14:27) And when Peter questions Christ鈥檚 presence, Jesus doesn鈥檛 say, 鈥淐ower at my greatness!鈥� He does not say, 鈥淜eep quiet, you fool!鈥� He doesn鈥檛 say, 鈥淕et out of my sight, you scrap of dust!鈥�
No. Jesus says, 鈥淐ome.鈥� Jesus invites Peter 鈥� invites us 鈥� to draw ever nearer. And when we fail, when we fall short, when the storms of life continue to toss us about, Jesus doesn鈥檛 dismiss us as too weak, as expendable, as unworthy. Jesus stretches out his hand and catches us.
(This week, you might to see what Jesus has to say to you about fear and faith and the storms of this moment.)
The apostles are rightly afraid; the winds and the waves are terrifying. But God does not will that we live paralyzed by fear; rather, God quite literally calls us out from it. How wonderful, how awesome is our God!
Recognizing this gift of the Spirit as one of wonder and awe lifts our gaze toward God and God鈥檚 people. Our spiritual lives are not nourished when we cower in fear; this is not the kind of fear that is of the Lord.
Pope Francis again: 鈥淔ear of the Lord allows us to be aware that everything comes from grace and that our true strength lies solely in following the Lord Jesus and in allowing the Father to bestow upon us his goodness and his mercy.鈥�
The last many days and weeks and months have been marred by images across our screens and actions undertaken throughout our communities that strike fear into our hearts: fear for ourselves, for our neighbors, for our world and for our future. There are many things to be rightly fearful of, and yet, that fear is not of God. God does not will that God鈥檚 own people be plagued by a fear that keeps them bound and shackled to a life of hiding and hopelessness. God desires not fear but flourishing.
And so, the question becomes: What do we desire? Do we desire that the People of God 鈥� our neighbors, our friends, people near and far, known and not 鈥� be condemned to live their lives ensnared by fear? Or, do we desire that which God desires: that each person be granted the opportunity to a life that is full and flourishing? And if so, what do we need to do as a result?
St. Ignatius offers us two standards with which to judge our decision-making; he names them the standard of the enemy and the standard of Christ. For Ignatius these were flags carried into battle; you stood beneath the one to which you had pledged yourself. We might see and judge those standards today by reflecting upon whether we stand beneath a standard of human fear or a standard of human flourishing. But we don鈥檛 simply stand beneath these standards 鈥� we follow them. They set the trajectory for our lives.
Let鈥檚 turn once more to Pope Francis: 鈥淲hen a person lives in evil, when one blasphemes against God, when one exploits others, when he tyrannizes them, when he lives only for money, for vanity, or power, or pride, then the holy fear of God sends us a warning: be careful! 鈥� May fear of the Lord make [such people] understand that one day all things will come to an end and they will have to give account to God.鈥�
There is a less holy text that offers us another helpful trajectory-setting piece of wisdom. Master Yoda 鈥� that wizened old teacher of the Star Wars franchise 鈥� says this of fear: 鈥淔ear is the path to the dark side of the Force. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate least to suffering.鈥�
How do we respond to fear? Walk with those who suffer 鈥� and help bind their wounds. Resist the seductive lure of hate, power, pride, greed and vanity. Quench the flames of anger. And turn to wonder: What does this moment demand of me? How might I act in a way that is reflective of our God? Turn to awe: How wonderfully made is all of creation!
We would do well to remember our God who desires not hate but love, not judgment but mercy, not anger but understanding, not contempt but curiosity, not violence but peace, not fear but flourishing.
