Perhaps fear, after all, is at the root of all sin. I used to think it was selfishness, but it’s not. Even selfishness is rooted in fear.
We can see this in the early wreckage of our Lenten practices: We are afraid of material poverty, and so we selfishly hold back on our almsgiving. We are afraid of hunger, and so we selfishly reach for the bread and chocolate. We are afraid of what we might find within ourselves and our interior lives, and so we selfishly cut short our prayers for something that we tell ourselves is more fun or important.
Obviously, we should not fear these things. Prayer, fasting and charitable giving are spiritually powerful practices that always redound to our benefit.
Be not afraid of giving alms, because God is never outdone in charity. If you think about this, you know it is true.
Be not afraid of fasting, because, as Pope Benedict XVI reminded us, it grows compassion by opening our eyes to the deprivations of others.
Be not afraid of prayer – even the challenging silence of contemplation. Prayer brings us before the feet of Christ and sets loose upon the world a most subversive force for good.
Granted, falling short in these three major works of Lent is not actually sinful, but it’s fair to reason that if fear can influence us away from them, it can mislead us in other ways.
Fear of not “keeping up” with neighbors or family members or friends can lead us into living a falsehood that keeps us dishonest, in debt and full of self-doubt.
Fear of “missing out” has us embracing political, social or even religious “trends” that we don’t even like, thus surrendering our truest selves to the world rather than to the stability of the unchanging Christ.
Follow Jesus in trust
We should already know this about fear – it should be obvious, simply because of how frequently some variation of “Do not be afraid” or “Have no fear” or “Do not fear” occurs in Scripture.
Jesus, of course, says it a lot.
Of course, Jesus was the perfection of love – the All Love – and perfect love casts out fear (1 Jn 4:18).
It is human to be afraid. But this year, in our Lenten disciplines, let us place all of the fears we’re conscious of – or will admit to – into the vast depths of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who said, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Lk 12:32).
Elizabeth Scalia is editor-at-large for OSV. Follow her on X @theanchoress.