Fear of the Lord
The seventh gift of the Holy Spirit, fear of the Lord, may be the
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most misunderstood of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This
is because most people associate the word “fear” with being
frightened or afraid. Thus, they think we’re supposed to be afraid of
or frightened by God. That’s not what the gift of the Holy Spirit is
about.
Fear of the Lord is a sense of awe and wonder in regard to God. It
gives us a greater realization that God is all-powerful. This gift gives
a desire to not offend God, not because of our fear of punishment,
but because of our great love for him. Just as with Piety, fear of the
Lord springs from love.
Unfortunately, this gift seems to be sorely lacking in the world today.
With advances in science and technology, many people are no
longer awed by the mighty hand of God. And it sometimes seems as
though reverence has all but disappeared. As Catholics, we must always
pray for the gift of fear of the Lord, especially in regard to the
Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. We should be dumbstruck
with awe and wonder every time we go to Mass.
Finally, the Book of Proverbs has lots of passages about fear of the
Lord. Here are a couple to meditate on.
“The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that a man may avoid the
snares of death.” (Proverbs 14:27)
“The fear of the Lord is an aid to life; one eats and sleeps without
being visited by misfortune.” (Proverbs 19:23)
For further study:
Isaiah 11:1-3
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