Fear, Dread, Cowardice
The fear of God is necessary to keep the Soul in obedience to the Law of the Ten Commandments of God. It is a holy fear, full of affection and love, that of making Him suffer, of offending Him through sin. However, an excessive and unbalanced fear of God can paralyze the Soul in its spiritual ascent towards the Lord.
Thus, Jesus says in the work of Maria Valtorta: "Souls need not to be afraid, to go to God with full confidence. This is what I strive to do and to do all the more because, through ignorance or their fault, people tend to fear God too much."[1]
In "The Gospel As It Was Revealed To Me"
- You have been told: "Fear the Lord your God" [...] Who, even if he is pure like a little child, does not tremble before the Mighty One?[2]
- Sin is a pain inflicted upon God.[3]
- He who does not believe in Me nor in my word is still in the paralyzing fear of God.[4]
- The rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple, in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, compared to the rebuilding of the Souls by Christ: The materials are in the precepts of the Lord - It is not fear that saves - Love, on the contrary, is constructive.[5]
- The fear of God experienced by the sinner when he appears before God and the serenity of Mary at the Annunciation.[6]
- Do not be afraid! You are mine and I am yours. Neither the River floods, nor flames from bonfires, nor stones, nor swords can separate you from Me if you remain in Me.[7]
- Let no one fear... I alone must fear... and suffer...[8]
- Souls need not to be afraid, to go to God with full confidence. This is what I strive to do and to do all the more because, through ignorance or their fault, people tend to fear God too much.[9]
- Only the wicked are cowards, those who have faults that make them fear justice...[10]
- And, regarding the flesh, do not imitate the people of the world who do not stop trembling about their tomorrow, through fear that they lack the superfluous, that illness may come, that death may come, that their Enemies may harm them, and so on.
God knows what you need. Therefore, do not fear for your tomorrow. Free yourselves from fears heavier than the chains of galley slaves. Do not trouble yourselves for your life, nor for food, nor for drink, nor for clothing.
The life of the spirit is more than that of the body, and the body is more than clothing, for it is by the body and not by the clothing that you live and, by mortifying the body, you help The Spirit to obtain eternal life. God knows until when He will leave your Soul in your body, and until that moment, He will give you what you need.
And can you think that God, who takes care of the lilies of the valleys and makes them grow and clothes them in a garment more beautiful than Solomon ever had, without them doing any work other than perfuming while adoring, do you believe that He could forget you even for clothing? (...)
But do not be people of little faith. You will always have what you need. Do not trouble yourselves like the people of the world who labor for their pleasures.
You have your Father who knows what you need. You must only seek, and let it be the first of your concerns, the Kingdom of God and His justice, and all the rest will be given to you in addition.[11]
In other works of Maria Valtorta
The Notebooks of 1944
- Catechesis of September 14: "The fear of God is the first degree of love. He who fears already respects and recognizes that the other is his superior, a master, or at least a leader. Even children who are not perfectly good fear their father. Even employees who are not perfectly good fear their boss. Even animals who are not perfectly good fear the trainer.
The believer who stops at the first hurdle of the mystical ladder that climbs towards God fears God, whose face he sees shining at the top, in the distance: seen from this distance, it indeed appears severe because he only distinguishes the main lines, and the smile, the gaze as well as the voice escape him. Many remain paralyzed by the majesty of God and forget His fatherhood. A fatherhood so good that He came to sacrifice His first-born Son to Save His other children. Those do not do evil because they fear God. They will therefore be rewarded with eternal life.
However, they will not obtain the reward which, while the earthly day still lasts, is already at work in those who do not stop at fearing God but overcome their fear, climb the second hurdle of the mystical ladder and move to the desire to know God more closely, with the certainty that, if they can know Him better, they will love Him... And in fact, the higher they climb the more they perceive who God is. Their desire turns into affection. Affection, which God rewards with sweet invitations, in turn turns into love. And love... Oh, love! Love no longer climbs the ladder rung by rung. Love takes wings and flies..."
In fundamental Christian texts
In the Bible
- It is the Lord your God you shall fear; Him you shall serve, and by His name you shall swear.[12]
- You shall fear the LORD, your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and by His name you shall swear. He is your glory, and He is your God; who has done for you these great and terrible things which your eyes have seen.[13]