delightful fear (is 11:3)
"At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke." —Isaiah 6:4
To become disciples of Jesus, we must answer God's call. Like Isaiah, to answer God's call, we must experience the fear of the Lord (Is 6:5).
To serve Jesus, we must have wisdom. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Ps 111:10).
To take up our daily cross in imitating Jesus, we must be fearless (see Mt 10:26, 28, 31). "He who fears the Lord is never alarmed, never afraid; for the Lord is his Hope" (Sir 34:14).
To evangelize, we must have more fear of God than of man (see Lk 5:8-10).
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of obedience, wisdom, fearlessness, evangelization, and much more. When the bishop or his delegate prayed for us at our Confirmation to have the fear of the Lord, the Lord gave us this great gift (see Is 11:2-3). The Lord wants a "reverent fear" to overtake us (Acts 2:43). We are to make "steady progress in the fear of the Lord" (Acts 9:31).
Renew your Confirmation. May the fear of the Lord grow so strong and deep that you will cry out: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!" and "Woe is me!" and "Here I am. Send me" (see Is 6:3, 5, 8).
Prayer: Father, give me a fear of You which deepens my love for You.
Promise: "Whoever acknowledges Me before men I will acknowledge before My Father in heaven." —Mt 10:32
Praise: Bl. Kateri was burdened with sickness and persecution from her own people but endured in her commitment to Christ Jesus.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape, Fear of the Lord and Evangelization, on audio AV 59-1 or video V-59.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 29, 2012
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