Bishop Kevin Farrell

The Chief Shepherd of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas

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Fear of the Lord

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Holy Trinity

 

In Isaiah’s messianic prophecy on the Root of Jesse we read, “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.”

We might ask “what can be delightful about fear?” The two words seem directly opposite to one another. But the Hebrew word used by the prophet is yirah which refers not to a fear based on terror but rather a fear based on reverence or awe. It is the feeling we get when confronted by the majesty of God’s creation, the overpowering splendor of the night sky or the endless sea, before which we feel overwhelmed by our own insignificance.

As is often the case with words that become clichés, awesome has been stripped of its power, but it aptly describes the experience of joy and delight Paul describes in his letter to the Church at Philippi, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!”

Fear of the Lord means a filial reverence, an awareness of the inconceivable reality that we are sons and daughters of God, confident in the knowledge of the Father’s unconditional love. As with all the Gifts of the Spirit, Fear of the Lord comes from an intimate personal relationship with Jesus who is the personification of the Father’s unconditional love. (John 3:16).

The Gift of Fear of the Lord

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In Isaiah’s messianic prophecy on the Root of Jesse we read, “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.”

We might ask ”what can be delightful about fear?” The two words seem directly opposite to one another. But the Hebrew word used by the prophet is yirah which refers not to a fear based on terror but rather a fear based on reverence or awe. It is the feeling we get when confronted by the majesty of God’s creation, the overpowering splendor of the night sky or the endless sea, before which we feel overwhelmed by our own insignificance.

As is often the case with words that become clichés, awesome has been stripped of its power, but it aptly communicates the experience of joy and delight Paul describes in his letter to the Church at Philippi. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!”

Fear of the Lord means a filial reverence, an awareness of the inconceivable reality that we are sons and daughters of God, confident in the knowledge of the Father’s unconditional love.

As with all the Gifts of the Spirit, fear of the Lord comes from an intimate personal relationship with Jesus who is the personification of the Father’s unconditional love for us. (John 3:16)

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

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During Lent we will reflect on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit which are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They are based on Isaiah 11:2-3 : 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.“

Jesus possesses the gifts in their fullness, but they are freely given to each of us by the Holy Spirit, but as is true of all gifts, we must accept them and let them work in our lives. The lyrics of a well known hymn by Daniel Iverson, Spirit of the Living God, reminds of of how the Spirit works in our lives if we open ourselves to Him.

Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.

If we open ourselves to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, they will change our lives and make us channels of God’s grace. They will gives us the tools to discern God’s will for us and the strength to persevere. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that “The moral life of Christians is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit.” (CCC 1830) Christianity is counter cultural in today’s world. It is from the Holy Spirit that we draw the strength to sustain us in faith and in hope.

But the Spirit can be suppressed. The oldest document in the New Testament, Paul’s first letter to the Church at Thessalonica, cautions against “quenching the Spirit.” (1 Thess 5:19) We quench or suppress the Spirit most often by neglect rather than rejecting Him. In our busy and often chaotic lives, it is very easy to let God slip away.

In our lives the Holy Spirit is always present, but God does not force Himself upon us. Think of the electric current in your home. It is capable of many wonderful things, but unless it is turned on it remains only a potential. If you do not flip a switch…nothing happens.

Thru His Gifts the Holy Spirit can do wonderful things in our lives, but we must “flip the switch.”

In the next few blogs during Lent we will take a look at the individual Gifts of the Holy Spirit