The Gift of Awe of the Lord 

Awe is a better name for this Gift of the Spirit than Fear of the Lord, because fear suggests the emotion of fright. Fear without fright is just perspective. Awe is the gift of seeing in perspective God’s greatness and our littleness, God’s power and our weakness, God’s knowledge and love compared to ours. Seeing ourselves and God in perspective, we see it as insanity to go against God in any way.  

That is how the Gift of Awe strengthens our wills against choosing any finite good in preference to the infinite Good of God. Courage strengthens us to do what is difficult or dangerous. Awe of the Lord strengthens us to not do what is tempting but forbidden. We need both. 

All temptations are tunnel vision, exclusive focus on what we desire, blocking out anything that would impose limits on us. We don’t consider consequences. We don’t ask what we are doing, why, or to whom. 

The extreme of this is “lust,” defined as “desire without boundaries.” Wanderlust, lust for power, lust of battle all imply being lost in unrestrained pursuit of satisfaction. But only God is “infinite,” unbounded. When a creature casts off limits, it is presuming to act like God. A total loss of perspective. Insanity. 

The answer and remedy is the gift of perspective: Awe of the Lord.  

To use the Gift of Awe of the Lord keep asking what you are shutting out when tempted by desire for any limited good. Open your eyes. Count the stars.  

— Fr. David M. Knight

View today’s Mass readings on the USCCB website here

Easter season is the time to focus on the Holy Spirit. Starting on Easter Sunday, we will look carefully at how the Spirit is proclaimed, invoked, and presented to us in the Mass. Lex orandi, lex credendi: “As the Church prays, so she believes.”

After that, we will reflect on the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2; Galatians 5:22), and at how the Spirit enters the life of those who believe.

As you read these reflections, ask for the gift of Understanding. Ask to really understand what you believe, what you see and hear at Mass. Go deeper into understanding the Mass than you ever have before. We experience the Faith when we become aware of its mystery. We hope you reflect deeply on the Mass and Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and find yourself more and more drawn into the mysteries of our Lord in the Mass and in His Gifts.