Fear (Awe) of the Lord

5 Minute Meditations. We are celebrating the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit between now and Pentecost (May 23rd this year), the day the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Apostles and they began to preach, baptizing thousands as followers of Christ. To ends the Seven Gifts. The Fruits will begin on Thursday.

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:  a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:1-3) These seven gifts (piety is described, not labeled, in the verses that follow) are part of the blessings given the Messiah, Jesus, and therefore, given to Christians. We receive these gifts at baptism. They are strengthened in us in the sacrament of Confirmation when we affirm our identities as soldiers of Christ, that is, Christians who will battle sin in ourselves and in the world to bring about the Kingdom of Heaven.

Ponder: Fear of the Lord is often misunderstood in our modern language. Have you ever read a story set in the 1800’s and the character says something like, “I fear I can’t see you without a chaperone” or “I fear you’ll forget me if you off to university.” This virtue might be better with the words “Fear that;.” We fear that we can’t comprehend God’s grandeur. We fear that we will disappoint Him. We fear that we will offend Him by sinning. We should have Fear of the Consequences of Sin. But we should never fear God for warning us of those consequences. The commandments are not there to boss us around; the commandments are God’s instruction on how to have a happy life living with and loving others.

Fear of the Lord can also be thought of as the awe factor, the “wow!” in our relationship with God. It’s a profound recognition of how magjestic He is, how far above us in knowledge and love He is. Nature. Space. Humans. Time travel. Prayer. Sacrificial love. There is so much to know and love about God!

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge because when we have it, we are turned towards God and ready for friendship with Him, ready to learn from Him. We accept that He is the source of all knowledge and wisdom and we should always use Him as the authority instead of relying on earthly humans to tell us what is true.

Reflect: A birth. The Grand Canyon. Unexpected love. Lightning that makes midnight look like noon. What makes you feel awe for God? Talk it over with God … and listen.

Pray (and add your own words): And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28) This wording seems to contradict what I just said about not fearing God; but again, what it’s saying is, “don’t be in awe of people; be in awe of God who created all people and whom you need to enjoy this life and the next.

Today ends the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Next session, we will begin the twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit–those are the wonderful traits you develop by using the seven Gifts. See you then. I’m praying for you.

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