Friday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time - Properly Ordered Fear

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Properly Ordered Fear

“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.” Luke 12:4–5

Physical harm, or even death, is not the greatest threat we face. Certainly, many people fear the idea of dying suddenly; when such a tragedy occurs, the deceased’s loved ones rightly enter into mourning. The pain of loss is real. Jesus, however, is clear that our far greater fear should be eternal separation from God. In fact, many martyrs throughout history have been highly honored for courageously facing death with faith and ultimate trust in God—choosing to fear sin more than their physical well-being.

In the passage above, Jesus prefaces His exhortation by lovingly calling His disciples, “my friends.” He says the same to us. He then exhorts us not to fear those who can only kill the body but can do no more. Instead, we should fear only the one “who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna.”

At first read, it might appear that Jesus is speaking of the devil, but He’s not. Satan has no power to cast a soul into Gehenna—that is, hell. Only God has that power. Jesus is clear: we must fear God—“Yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.”

Do you fear God? While this could seem confusing, it is actually liberating when understood properly. The fear of which Jesus speaks is not a disordered fear based on evil threats. It is a holy fear—one of the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. That gift was first articulated in the Old Testament: “The beginning of wisdom is fear of the LORD, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10).

When one fears God in the sense of reverent awe and childlike obedience, worldly threats and even diabolical attacks lose their power. The fear that holy souls possess is the fear of losing their friendship with God. This form of holy fear is the beginning of wisdom because it rightly orders all other fears. Fear in and of itself is not evil. It is a natural emotion that must be properly ordered, so that holy fear remains and unholy fear is overcome. Holy fear—such as fear of Gehenna (hell) or of disobeying God’s perfect will—brings forth the good fruits of repentance, vigilance, and spiritual freedom.

When our soul’s fears are properly ordered, we will fear only that which separates us from God: sin. Worldly fears are dimi