I was at the bank a few months ago, where I met an elderly couple who were parishioners in a local church. The man told me of his painful health experiences, while his wife listened with a worried look on her face. I could feel their pain and distress. I felt moved to pray for them, then and there, but instead I just offered to keep them in my prayers and walked away.
I could not find peace as I sat down waiting for my turn to be attended to. Why didnโt I pray for this hurting couple when I felt inspired to do so? I believe in the power of prayer to heal and to strengthen others. I also saw their need for prayer. Why didnโt I pray for them immediately?
The truth is that I acted in a cowardly way because I was afraid of what people would say or think if I stretched out my hands to pray over them in a crowded bank. Would the people in the bank commend me or condemn me? Would they see it as a sign of faith or an empty show? Would they be edified or put off? Would they smile or frown at me?
I begged God to forgive me for giving in to human respect. I prayed for courage and for the grace to be completely indifferent to whatever the people at the bank may think. I got up, went back to the couple, asked them to stand, and stretched my hand over them in prayer for their healing, hope, and strength. Then I went back to my seat with abiding peace. ย
It is amazing how much our fear of what people may think or say about us can hinder us from being faithful to Godโs inspirations. God is always inspiring us to do great things for His glory and for the good of our brothers and sisters. He is giving us the graces that we need. But sometimes we are reluctant to accept them because we are more concerned about what others may think or say about us. ย
This is why Jesus, when sending out His disciples, commanded them from the very beginning, โFear no oneโ (Mt. 10:28). If they fear anyone, all their energy will go into pleasing that person. They will do anything to be loved and accepted by the person. They will give in to the fear of offending the person and thus compromise on the demanding message of the Good News. They may even avoid the person altogether out of dread. Ultimately, they will become unfaithful to God and the Gospel. Godโs inspiration and grace would be wasted.
On the other hand, Jesus asked His disciples to pay reverent attention to God and fear Him alone because He is the only one who can โdestroy both soul and body in Gehennaโ (Mt. 10:28). If they fear God alone, they will come to experience that powerful truth that โthe fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10). There are so many virtues that come with this wisdom when we choose to fear God and not human beings.ย
God speaks to us and to others through us, even in the darkest moments of our lives, as Matthew writes, โWhat I say to you in the darkness, speak in the lightโ (Mt. 10:27). When we listen to His words with reverence and fear, we will strive to keep His word faithfully and proclaim it to others. When we have an appropriate fear of the God who can destroy both body and soul, we will cultivate a dread of sin and strive for holiness and all that would give God glory.
God is constantly focused on each of us, no matter what we are going through in life: โAre not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Fatherโs knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are countedโ (Mt. 10:29-31). We have a strong hope when we also pay attention to our God who never ignores us in our needs and experiences.
When our hearts are fixed on Godโs judgment on the last day and not on what people may think or say about us, we will strive to be faithful witnesses of Jesus Christ to the very end. We will rather die than deny Jesus or His saving truth before human beings because we want to have eternal life. We take the words of Jesus to heart: โWhoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Fatherโ (Mt. 10:26-33). All these virtues and graces come from choosing to fear God and not human beings.
The prophet Jeremiah is a good example of choosing to fear God alone and not people. His courageous prophetic ministry gained him the hatred of many, including his close friends. He said, โTerror on every side. Denounce! Let us denounce him! All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. Perhaps he can be tricked; then we will prevail and take our vengeance on himโ (Jer. 20:10).
Jeremiah does not focus on their treachery, threats, and evil designs for him. He chose rather to pay attention to Godโs loving presence and faithfulness to him, saying, โBut the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion; my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumphโ (Jer. 20:10-11). He became a faithful prophet of God because of his fear of God.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, where is our focus and attention today? Are we focused on what people think or say about us and what we believe, or are we focused on Godโs abiding presence with us, what He sees in our hearts, the graces that He is giving to us, and the truth that He is communicating to us at each moment for the salvation of souls and His glory? Are we more interested in what people think or say, or in what God actually sees in our hearts and deeds?
Sadly, many people within and outside the Church do not fear God at all, but they are petrified of what people are going to think or say about them. This may explain why our Church is so obsessed with words like dialogue, human dignity, synodality, listening sessions, and accompaniment, while having no problem with offending God and His sovereignty over all.
Our Church now willingly dialogues with and panders to environmental, globalist, immigration, and LGBT activists. But there is no true fear of God; the faithful are denied access to the traditional Latin Mass, the faithful are scandalized through public worship offered toย Pachamamaย statues, and non-liturgical blessings are offered to people in homosexual relationships. That wisdom that comes from fearing God alone is obviously dead in our Church today.
The world does not care about what we think or believe anymore. The world does not give a hoot about what we think about it and its values. A case in point is the recent Bill C-9 in Canada. This bill could criminalize quoting parts of scripture that speak of the evil of homosexuality. It is very ironic that those who do not believe in the Bible as the word of God are telling those who do believe in the Bible which parts they are allowed to quote in public.
How bold the world has become today, and how cowardly we believers have become. The world is now telling us when and how to spread the Gospel. Yet, those of us who call ourselves disciples of Jesus are trying to dialogue with the world, listen to it, accommodate it, and try to find common ground. This is what Jesus lamented about when He said, โFor the sons of this world are wiser in their own generation than the sons of lightโ (Lk. 16:8).
If we are going to be faithful to Jesus and His Gospel in our aggressively secular world, we must cultivate a fear of God alone and reject any fear of what people may think or say about us.ย Nothing destroys our fidelity to Jesus and His saving mission like this unbridled human respect.
Some pointers to keep in mind and heart if we are going to fear God alone:
1. God Alone is Judge
Firstly, it is God who will judge us on the last day, and He will surely not depend on the opinions of others. The opinions and thoughts of others will count for nothing when we stand before God on judgment day. We will be judged based on the word of God and not on the opinions of the majority.
He who rejects me and does not receive my sayings has a judge; the word that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day. (Jn. 12:48)
2. God is Always Faithful, Others Are Not
Secondly, God is always faithful. His words and promises to us will surely come to pass: โHeaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass awayโ (Mt. 12:35). Human opinions, no matter how popular or passionately they are held, cannot endure forever. We will do well to believe and act only on the word of God, no matter the prevailing public opinions inside and outside the Church.
On the other hand, people are not always faithful to us. Those who praise and accept us today will condemn and reject us when we fail to meet their expectations or when we are no longer useful to their worldly cause. Judas Iscariot learned this lesson the hard way. Those who praised him and gave him money to betray Jesus turned on him after his betrayal and flippantly dismissed him when he remorsefully confessed that he had shed innocent blood. They replied to him, โWhat is that to us? See to it yourselfโ (Mt. 27:4). This is what the wicked world will do to those of us who pay attention to what others think or say about us but are devoid of any fear of God.
3. People Will Judge and Accuse
Thirdly, whether we do good or evil, people will always talk. If they can find something to falsely accuse Jesus of, then they will surely find many negative things to say about us falsely. So, let us do what God is inspiring us to do and let people talk all they want. Remember that this false accusation we receive when we do good is a source of enduring blessing for us: โBlessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heavenโ (Mt. 5:11-12).
4. God Provides All the Graces We Need
Lastly, God has given us all the blessings that we need to be faithful to Him and His mission. Jesus offers us His very self in each Eucharist so that we can be faithful to Him in every place and time. We are gifted for fidelity to Jesus. We are not gifted to win the acceptance and praise of others. Jesus reminded us of this when He said, โYou will be hated by all for my nameโs sake. But he who endures to the end will be savedโ (Mt. 10:22).
Let us beg God to deliver us from all fear of human beings and give us the grace to cultivate a deep fear of God alone. This is the only way that we can experience that divine wisdom and grace for our fidelity to God and His inspirations in every time and place.
Glory to Jesus!!! Honor to Mary!!!
Image from Wikimedia Commons
