Fear of the Lord
Is God to be feared, or is God to be loved?
The fear of the Lord is one of the most misunderstood things in the bible. Both the Old and the New Testaments mention the fear of the Lord. The Book of Isaiah mentions the fear of the Lord as one of the attributes of the ideal Davidic king: “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 11:2-3)
Other passages in the bible which mention the fear of the Lord are as follows:
- Serve the LORD with fear; exult with trembling, accept correction lest he becomes angry and you perish along the way when his anger suddenly blazes up. (Psalm 2:11-12)
- Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. (Matthew 10:28)
- The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace. It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew in numbers. (Acts 9:31)
- Give honor to all, love the community, fear God, honor the king. (1 Pet. 2:17)
- So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12)
- Fear God and give him glory, for his time has come to sit in judgment. (Revelation 14:7)
The fear of the Lord is a reverential fear of God; therefore, a person who “fears the Lord” deeply respects the majesty of God; he is mindful that God created him and that he is dependent on God. He develops a “poverty of spirit” in which he would never want to be separated from God; as a result, he desires to avoid sin, not merely because he is afraid of the temporal punishments due to sin, but because sin separates him from God.
The fear of the Lord entails a fear of doing things that would displease God. There are so many things in everyday life that can be displeasing to God; for example, taking God’s love for granted, taking the name of the Lord in vain, forgetting to thank God for our blessings, neglecting to pray and worship God, disregarding God’s commandments, etc. Having the fear of the Lord is a wonderful gift to have, because it keeps us on track in having the right kind of relationship with God – a relationship in which we respond to God’s great love by loving God with due reverence, and the foundation of loving our neighbor is our love of God.
Archbishop Gregory John Hartmayer has extended the dispensation from the Sunday Mass obligation for persons with health reasons or concerns until August 1, 2020.
Fr. Bill thanks very much all those who helped clear out the trees and bushes in the detention pond. Once again, our parishioners have come to work together as a family.
Please note that repair work on the deteriorated concrete flumes which drain rainwater from the parking lot to the detention pond will begin on Tuesday, June 23. Please observe caution when entering the parking lot.
At the Holy Name of Jesus Chinese Catholic Mission, we do our best to keep you safe when you come to church by spraying the sanctuary and chapel after every Mass with disinfectant, and any room that have been used. We thank you for your continued support and cooperation by wearing masks to church and maintaining social distancing. Hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes are always available for your use.