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“The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys
the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.”
John 3:35–36
A holy fear, one of the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, begins with
a fear of punishment. We should foster within our minds and hearts
a healthy fear of experiencing the “wrath of God.” God’s holy wrath
is not an emotional reaction to those who reject Him but rather the
necessary consequence of disobeying Him and refusing to receive and
foster the transforming gift of faith. God’s wrath is His pure
justice. He respects our freedom and will not impose Himself upon
us. God will not force the gift of eternal life upon those who
reject it by rejecting the means of obtaining it.
What is the means of obtaining eternal life? Believing in the Son.
In biblical terms, believing is much more than intellectual assent.
Even the demons believe in God intellectually. Their belief,
however, lacks the spiritual gift of faith, which is what today’s
Gospel addresses.
Faith in God involves listening to Him, understanding His Word, and
responding positively in our daily actions. It means we choose to
allow ourselves to be changed by God’s Word. True faith cannot be
separated from hope and charity. Once our minds perceive God and
the Truth that He imparts, the divine gift of hope compels us to
act on and in accordance with the truth we understand. Faith and
hope together produce charity, which perfects faith and leads to a
love of God and others, inspiring us to act according to God’s
will.
For these reasons, it is clear that being a Christian is far more
than believing a philosophical thesis. Sadly, it seems that there
are many who profess to be Christian but do so only in an
intellectual way. If that is you sometimes, then prayerfully ponder
the phrase “the wrath of God remains upon him.”
Though the gift of Fear of the Lord begins with the fear of losing
out on eternal life, it culminates in a burning desire to do all we
can to further God’s Kingdom and implement His will in our lives.
This higher form of fear drives us away from anything that keeps us
from offending God, even slightly, or failing to serve Him with all
the powers of our souls. This is the fear of a son or daughter who
strives to please God in all things.
As we continue our Easter Season, we are invited to consider all
that Jesus revealed in His public ministry through the lens of His
final victory over death and restoration of eternal life, promised
by the Resurrection. Today, we are especially challenged to examine
what we believe and whether that intellectual assent has mixed with
the grace of hope to compel us to act.
Reflect today on whether your belief in the Son of God drives your
will to action. As you listen to the Word of God, do you allow it
to change you? Do you make conscious decisions to move in a new
direction because you have listened to and acted upon all that
Jesus has revealed? Are you closer to God today than you were last
year or in the years before that? Choose to believe in the Son of
God today in the way Jesus wants you to believe, and you will be
one step closer to the incalculable riches of eternal life.
Most generous God, You desire my pure and holy faith. When I
fail to believe and follow Your will, I experience an absence of
You, a judgment I impose upon myself. Please give me the courage I
need to choose You always, in every action, driven by a holy fear
of losing You in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
Image: Holy Trinity
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