In our readings this weekend, we hear about fear. We might be a little confused, though. Because in the Gospel reading, Jesus tells us to not be afraid, but He also tells us to be afraid. So what’s going on? Which one is it? Should we fear, or should we not fear? Let us take a closer look at today’s readings to see what the Lord is saying to us.
First, the Prophet Jeremiah and our Lord tell us to not be afraid of other people. We should not even be afraid of those who can harm us. Because, as Jeremiah says: “the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.” The Lord is our refuge and our strength. As Jesus tells us, in the end, God will reveal everything. The just will be vindicated, and the unjust will be discovered. “Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.” “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.”
Instead, Jesus tells us, we should be afraid of “the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” Now, who is the one who can “the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna?” We probably think of God first. God is the one who is all-powerful, and He will be our judge at the end of our lives. But remember that God is not the one who chooses hell for us. We choose! C.S. Lewis wrote that “the gates of hell are locked on the inside.” God is not the one who kicks people into hell. He really does allow us to make free choices during our earthly life. God respects us so much that He would never force us to spend eternity with Him if we did not want to live with Him or for Him on earth.
So remember the question I asked you: Who is the one who has the power to send you to hell? You. You are the one who has that power. You are the one to gets to choose, every day, every minute, with every decision. We do not need to be afraid of God—He is a good Father who loves us and who sent His Son to save us. He loves us and is always trying to save us. We do not need to be afraid of Him. We should, rather, be afraid of ourselves. We should be afraid of our self-reliance. We should be afraid of our power to deceive ourselves. We should be afraid of living without God in our daily life to sustain us and guide us. We are the ones who get to choose heaven or hell.
Recognizing this, we should cling to our Lord every day. We should humble ourselves before Him in the sacrament of reconciliation over and over again. We should savor His presence within us when we receive Him in the Eucharist. We should ask Him for help and grow in our relationship with Him every day. I worry about the people who commit serious mortal sins but say: “But God knows my heart. I have not gone to confession in a long time, but God knows my heart. I am going to continue living a sinful lifestyle, but God knows my heart.” Yes. Yes, God knows your heart even better than you know your own heart. Do not rely on your own understanding. Do not trust in yourself or your own judgment. You have the power to determine where you spend eternity.
Do not be afraid of other people. Do not be afraid of God. Instead, be afraid of life without God.
Total Surrender 
Leave a comment