Confirmation NovenaSample

Fear of the Lord

“The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon Christians are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.” (CCC1845)

The Fear of the Lord can be difficult to define.  Our fear of God is not as some terrible tyrant who will harm us but our fear of God is out of a sense of wonder and awe at his almighty presence, we are not afraid of God but in awe of him.  This gift is sometimes referred to as Wonder and Awe and I think that can be a helpful way of understanding it.

Have you ever been blown away by some magnificent piece of scenery like a sunset, a mountain, a forest?  Those “woah” experiences tap into something of this gift.  We recognize something that is remarkable, beyond our imaginings and expectations.  This gift enables us to truly see God in this way, as majestic, incredible, bigger, better and brighter than we could possibly have thought.  This gift drives us to seek out God in all the ways he has revealed himself to us, it is the thrill seeker of the gifts.  This gifts enables us to seek out God in all places and in all people, it keeps us be energized and always open to God’s possibilities.

What this gift does most of all is that it draws us more deeply in a longing to be in relationship with God and of desiring that relationship to never end.  When we have truly experienced wonder and awe at God’s presence then we are desirous of more of that experience, more of that closeness, more of that love.