TTSNBSIM 4: "God Never Wants You to be Afraid"

TTSNBSIM (Things That Should Never Be Said In Mass)

#4: "God Never Wants You to be Afraid"

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This series is on the subject of things that I've heard said at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which should, in reality, never be said there.  Often, it's because these things are incorrect, but occasionally, it's simply because the remark, as stated, is not explained well enough, and will inevitably be misinterpreted.  In the latter case, the post will also contain an explanation of why this is, as well as proposed -alternatives,- which make the intended statement a bit more clear.

This is a little straightforward, because it's simply false.  God doesn't want you to have anything evil to -be afraid of,- but it's clear from the scriptures that as long as there is evil, God wants us to be afraid of it.

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"And fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell."
-Matthew 10:28, spoken by Jesus to his disciples-

So, yes, God -does- want us to be afraid of Satan, and therefore, of sinning.

Fear is a natural and normal part of the human experience, because we -should- be afraid of offending God.  For this reason, at Mass, we should never tell people not to fear -anything.-

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A viable alternative is the following.

"God wants to take you to a place where fear is no longer needed."