“…fear of the Lord.”
By RH
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that at Confirmation we receive the 7 gifts and 12 fruits of the Holy Spirit. The 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.
The language that is used in the ‘fear of the Lord’ is a little confusing for us today. Does this mean that God is just waiting for us to make a mistake so He can punish us? Does this mean that we have to watch what we do because ‘God will get you for that’? We know that Jesus is a loving God and that we should not be afraid to approach Him. Then, what is the ‘fear of the Lord’ that we receive in Confirmation? Should we be afraid or not?
Confirmation says that we are now adult Christians and as we grow in our faith and our love for God, we realize how awesome He is. He is the maker of all things and all people. He was, is and always will be. As we come to realize this, we have a deep, holy, profound respect and love for Him. As we spend time talking to God, we feel a certain awe about being in His Presence. When we come to know all that He has done for us and all He has given us, we tremble at the thought that He cares for us so much and that He is so far beyond our understanding.
As much as He loves us, he is a just God. We do have to take some responsibility for our own actions. We sin and we must face up to our sins and ask for forgiveness. ‘…fear of the Lord’ is not so much fear as we think of it today but amazing awe and total respect.'