The Role of Fear
What is fear? St. Denis the Carthusian says that fear is “avoidance of future evil.” We have all experienced fear at several points in our lives, but for most of us, it’s not an emotion we seek out, and I think it is fair to say that we all hope to avoid future evil. So maybe fear can be a good thing. After all, fear of the Lord is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. In this form of a gift, fear evolves from being afraid of something to being afraid to offend Someone because you love Him. St. Thomas Aquinas describes four forms of fear. First is worldly fear. Worldly fear is the fear of loss of earthly goods. This kind of fear is not of the Holy Spirit and is one that Jesus actually speaks against when, in Matthew 10:28, Jesus says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” The second is servile fear. This is the lowest form of fear of the Lord. Servile fear is avoiding God’s displeasure and punishment. While far from perfect, this fear is actually good. Third is initial fear. The name, initial fear, comes from the Latin word initium. This word means “beginning”, and this fear is akin to a middle ground between the second and fourth forms. Because initial fear is like an “in-between” point, elements of the second and fourth forms could be present. This third form of fear can be found in a person who is growing in charity and wants to do the right thing because he both fears punishment for misdeeds (servile) and because he loves justice. The fourth and most perfect form of fear is filial fear. Filial fear is the most perfect form because it is rooted in love. It is best explained as fearing to offend God because you love Him.
It is good to fear God’s justice and retribution. But it is better to love Him and fear offending Him because of that love. We aren’t perfect, in fact, we can’t be. Not on our own. That’s why God gave us the Sacrament of Reconciliation. But the more we love God and desire to please Him, the more we obey Him and follow His commandments. God is merciful and slow to anger. He gives us chance after chance, opportunity after opportunity, to come back to Him and to recommit our lives to Him. “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7). Fear of the Lord is the starting point for a saintly life. If it feels like your spiritual life is missing something, try asking God what He wants to fill that space with.
Inviting God into the different spaces in your life is a great start to improving your spiritual life. It’s also a good way to start good habits. When you remove a bad habit, you can’t just leave that space empty, you need to replace it with something else. What could be a better thing to replace a bad habit than something God suggests? I challenge everyone (myself included) to take some time to pray and ask God, “What is something new that you want to introduce into my life?” or “What is something You want to remove from my life and replace with something better?” Once God gives you your answer, it’s time to implement that change. Take the leap and start moving closer to God.
