In my homily last Sunday I mentioned using the following days this week to meditate on each of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. So, I would like to share these gifts for daily reflection.

Monday – Fear of the Lord

The Gift of the Holy Spirit “Fear of the Lord” is a holy fear (not fright) and loving reverence towards God. When we think of this Gift of reverence and awe, perhaps our first experience of it is being held spellbound by the wonder of creation: observing the billions of stars in the night sky, holding a new baby, watching the beauty of a sunset, and seeing a wild animal. Let me take this same sense of reverence and awe toward the creation and apply it to the reality of experiencing the reverence and awe of God the Creator.

We grow in the Gift of Fear of the Lord by quietly praying for its increase within us. As we rest in Jesus during times of silence, He allows us to recognize who He is and how He loves us in a particular and personal way.

One of the best places for this type of prayer is in a posture of “being with” Jesus truly present in the holy Eucharist. After Mass, the consecrated host – Jesus Himself – is reserved in the Tabernacle. Here, Jesus reveals over time the awareness that we are in His Presence and strengthens in us a sense of reverence and awe.

So often the “spectacular” gets our attention (as described above) but the “Awe and Wonder of God” is magnified in his hidden presence of every soul that gives life to every human person. This hidden presence is especially real in the Holy Eucharist where Christ himself is truly present under the appearance of Bread a Wine. The mystery is great yet the Holy Spirit through the gift of awe and wonder can help you experience the powerful omnipotent God in the simplest of substance.

Take time to visit the Church today or later this week…. Kneel before the Tabernacle and find in what seems to be hidden to be spectacular and magnificent of God’s power to do anything in our presence. If he is capable to make the number of stars greater than you can count, then he is four sure capable to allow himself to exist in the form of bread and wine.

  • Place yourself today in a quiet posture of awe and wonder of God.
  • Think of the many magnificent ways he is present to all the world.
  • Think then how he intimately wants to feel your heart and soul with His Divine body and blood in the Holy Eucharist! Thank Him for this most Catholic of gifts that you may have taken for granted and forgot the awe and wonder of His love!!!

Note from Fr. John: These meditations came from a wonderful website: spiritualdirection.com. I recommend it for further use to grow in Divine Intimacy.