Solemnity of Christ the King
Cycle
C
November
20, 2016
Saint Mary Parish, Pylesville
4pm
Saint
Matthew Parish, Baltimore 11am
I Do Not Fear
I want
to tell you something about myself today, and it is this.
I do
not fear God. I do not fear the Lord Jesus.
In
today’s gospel, two other men are being crucified with Jesus and one of them asks
the other, “Have you no fear of God?” That man never responds.
My
answer is: “No! I do not fear God or the Lord Jesus.” When I was a child, growing up in the 1950s,
I did fear God.
In my
faith formation or religion classes, the primary image of God that I got was as
a judge. God was a stern figure,
watching, maybe just waiting for me to do something wrong.
And I
definitely got it that God would punish me and could even send me to hell. So, as I look back, I feared God.
From Fear to Revere
But, it
all changed in my college and young adult years.
What
happened is that my faith formation got focused on the gospel. I started reading the gospels and the center
of my faith became Jesus.
And
slowly but surely, my image of God and my feelings about God changed. I came to see God – the Father – as a caring
parent who only wants what is best for me.
I came
to see God as leading me to the fullest life possible. I came to experience God as being very
patient with me – always forgiving and giving me another chance if I fouled
up.
I
realized that in Jesus, God is with me – my friend on the journey of life. And because of all of this, for me it was no
longer fear that led me to do or not do things.
I now positively
wanted to live with God and follow the wonderful way of Jesus. So, it is no longer a negative thing but a
positive thing.
I do
not fear God; I revere God. I do not
fear; I revere.
Revere in Scripture
I think
that Saint Paul in our second reading helps to convey this sense of revering
and definitely not fearing God.
For
example, Paul says that Jesus is “the
image of the invisible God.” I mean
– isn’t that amazing?
In
seeing Jesus, we get to know God – who God is and what God is like. We get to realize what a caring parent and
close friend God is to us.
And
then Paul makes the identity of Jesus even clearer. He says that “in him the fullness [of God] was pleased to dwell and to reconcile all
things for him…”
So in
Jesus, God doesn’t distant us from himself or condemn us. Quite the opposite – in Jesus, God reconciles
us and draws us close to himself – now isn’t that amazing?
The Calling to Revere
So for me, it
automatically follows: I do not fear; I revere.
I positively make
the Lord Jesus the center of my life.
And he then becomes the positive force for my life.
And, by the way, I
think that the man who asks, “Have you no
fear of God?” really means the same thing.
He does not fear God; he reveres God.
I say this because
he speaks so freely and personally to Jesus and calls him by his name “Jesus.”
The name “Jesus” means “God saves” and this man believes that
God or Jesus will save him.
So, he does not
fear. He reveres God or Jesus.
And that, my
friends, is the kind of faith that the gospel lifts up for all of us. It is a mature and confident faith, a healthy
and holy faith.
And so, I invite
you to that and invite you, if you are comfortable with it, to join me in
saying: “I do not fear; I revere the Lord.” Let’s say it together: “I
do not fear; I revere the Lord.”
