XIV — THE GIFT OF FEAR

Presence of God. — O Lord, grant that I may fear only one thing: to displease You and separate myself from You.

Meditation

1 — The Holy Spirit invites us to his school: “Come, children, hearken to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Ps. 33:12). This is the first lesson the divine Paraclete imparts to the soul desirous of holiness, a most important and fundamental lesson because, by infusing hatred of sin — the greatest obstacle to union with God — it assures growth of spiritual life. In this sense Sacred Scripture says: “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God” (Sir. 1:16).

To educate us in fear of God, the Holy Spirit, rather than setting before us the vision of punishments due to sin, rather than presenting God as severe judge, shows us God as most loving Father, infinitely desirous of our good, and presents the moving picture of his benefits and mercies. “God has loved you with an everlasting love and therefore has drawn you to Himself,” He whispers in the depths of our soul. “You are not servant, but friend, but son” (cf. Jer. 31:3; Jn. 15:15).

Thus, seized by love for so good a Father, the soul desires nothing more than to return his love, to please Him, and to live always united to Him. Consequently, it fears nothing more than sin, which saddens God and has the sad power to separate it from Him. What a difference between this filial fear, fruit of love, and servile fear, fruit of fear of punishment! True, fear of judgment and divine punishments is also salutary and in certain cases can greatly help restrain the soul from sin. Yet if it does not little by little change into filial fear, it will never suffice to impel the soul to holiness. Pure servile fear chills the soul and makes it narrow; filial fear enlarges it, launching it on the way of generosity and perfection.

2 — The gift of fear perfects at once the virtue of hope and that of temperance. The object of hope is possession of God and eternal beatitude. The gift of fear, by making us flee with utmost care even the smallest offense against God, places us in the best conditions for hoping for heaven’s beatifying union and obtaining means necessary to attain it.

The object of temperance is restraint of passions and attraction toward sensible pleasure. The gift of fear perfects this virtue by making us more generous in mortifying senses and passions. Urged by this holy fear, we will be more attentive than ever not to let ourselves be dragged in the least by desire for our own satisfaction, and ready to face any renunciation rather than give the smallest displeasure to our heavenly Father. “Far better to displease myself than to displease God,” repeats the soul under this gift’s influence.

The Holy Spirit, then, more than making us fear God, makes us fear ourselves — our bad will and passions — which, being cause of sin, can place us in danger of offending God, separating ourselves from Him, or at least of not living united to Him enough. This is not a fear generating anxiety and scruples, but a fear joined to love and confidence and therefore impelling the soul to place itself totally in God’s hands so that He may preserve it from every shadow of sin.

Yet while launching the soul with immense trust into the heavenly Father’s arms, the gift of fear also infuses a sense of reverent awe before his infinite Majesty. The soul feels that God, by his immense dignity, is supremely distant from it; but it also feels that by his merciful love He has made Himself very near, inviting it to live in his intimacy. Amid these alternations of filial reverence and confident trust, the gift of fear matures and blossoms into perfect love.

“When the soul comes to possess in perfection the spirit of fear, it already possesses perfectly the spirit of love; for that fear, the last of the seven gifts, is filial fear, and perfect filial fear is born of perfect love toward the Father” (St. John of the Cross, Canticle 26, 3).

Colloquy

“My God, however much I desire to love You, however much I know the world’s vanities and prefer your service to them, still, as long as I am here below, I cannot consider myself secure from returning to offend You. Since this is so, what can I do but have recourse to You and beg that my enemies not lead me into temptation? How could I discover their snares? Oh, my God, how I need your help! Lord, say some word to me that brings light and security within me! Deign to teach me some remedy to shelter me from assaults of this most dangerous war!

“And You Yourself tell me the sure remedy is fear. Love must make me quicken my step; fear must induce me to watch where I place my feet lest I fall. Give me both, O Lord, since love and fear are two very strong fortresses from whose heights I shall conquer every temptation. Sustain me, my God, so that for all the gold in the world I may never commit knowingly any venial sin, however small” (cf. St. Teresa of Jesus).

“My Lord and my God, all my good is to remain united to You and place all my hope in You. Left to itself, my soul would be only a breath that vanishes and does not return. Without You I can do no good, nor stand firm in good; without You I can neither love nor please You, nor avoid what displeases You. I therefore take refuge in You, I abandon myself to You, that You may sustain me with your power, hold me with your strength, and never permit me to separate from You” (cf. St. Bernard).