Fear God Not World

What shall we be afraid of? That is the question many of us should ponder after hearing Matthew’s Gospel for the 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

Jesus gave us a commandment to “fear not”. Fear can be a dangerous obstacle in our spiritual journey. For most of his preaching, he talked about Gehenna (Hell). Some of us wonder why he would preach about it more.

First, he was calling everyone to repentance and to abandon their wickedness. He wants us to fear what would happen if we don’t follow his ways.

Second, hell and purgatory are too crowded with lukewarm souls. Some saints have had visions of laity and clergy alike who are trapped in these stages and could use our prayers.

The world wants us to fear what the culture wants of us, not God. The devil wants us to fear what people and society would think of us. It needs to be flipped. It is times like these that we must fear God, as he will cast judgment on us when we stand before him on the last day.

The bible gives us a three-word phrase that is repeated in both the Old and New Testaments… Be Not Afraid. The phrase is found 365 times. Imagine getting this repetitive phrase on our phones every day of the year.

Our culture may have shifted. Yet, we still must be willing to proclaim Christ every day of our lives. In doing so, we will bring about his kingdom on earth to every living person.

Let’s boldly stand with Christ, not the world. Standing with Christ will unleash our spiritual greatness.

Fear God, Not Man.