RBWords

     There is an old expression that we use that goes something like this"  "I put the fear of God in him/her/them!"  That expression has to do precisely with fear of punishment.  It is a sad fact that for many people the primary feeling (if they have any) about God is one of fear of punishment either in this life or the next!  We know from our own experience that sometimes our motives are "mixed."  We may do something for someone because we love them, but we also fear the consequences if we fail to do that particular thing.  The Letter of John, in today's first scripture, touches that part of our life of faith.  Love should cast out fear in our relationship to God.

     Yes, but.....  What about that "gift" of the Holy Spirit, "the fear of the Lord?"  I think that expression uses "fear" in a way that includes too much!  It has to do more with the natural reaction we have to something very powerful.  We may experience the feeling of being threatened because there is something present that is more powerful than we are and we can become defensive.  Love requires knowledge as well.  Getting to know God is part of learning how to love God.  This is why the role of parents and teachers in the early life of children is so important.  Our relationship to God as adults will depend a lot on how we learned about God as a child.  If one reads the psalms, one encounters just about every kind of feeling about God.  If we feel drawn more to a psalm like Psalm 23 ("The Lord is my shepherd...") than some of the more angry expression that should tell us why the First Letter of John is so shrewd in its comment.  We can put the power of love of God to work for us in casting out fear.  AMEN