Do you really fear the Lord?

When I celebrate the Mass and burial of a parishioner I always ask the family if they have any special passages of Scripture they would like read at the Mass and/or in the graveyard.  We have suggested readings in our “Order of Christian Funerals” book but it is allowed for the family to substitute readings that had special meaning to the deceased or to the family.  Most often the readings chosen speak of how loving a God we have.  So many families want Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.” or 1 Jn 4:1-6: “In my father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?”  We want to hear of the God whom Jesus taught us to pray to as “Our Father,” and whom St. John describes simply as “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8).

Yet, only two Sundays ago in St. Luke’s Gospel (6:17, 20-26) Jesus was telling “a great crowd of his disciples” things like, “Blessed are you when people hate you … Woe to you who are rich … who are filled now ... who laugh ... who are well spoken of….”  This sounds more like a curse than a blessing.  Our God of love sounds very stern indeed.  However, Jesus is simply teaching “fear of the Lord” in its unique biblical meaning of awe, reverence and total love of God and neighbor with our whole heart.  In the Hebrew mentality of Jesus’ day, the heart was the deepest organizing center of one’s whole life.  If you set your heart on God above all, then everything else that is most important to you — spouse, children, parents, extended family, religion, education, work, home, community, service to nation — everything will find its proper place and be loved in the right way.

 If you set your heart on God above all, then everything else that is most important to you — spouse, children, parents, extended family, religion, education, work, home, community, service to nation — everything will find its proper place and be loved in the right way.   

What better Valentine’s wish (since we are in that season) could we offer those whom we love than to practice fear of the Lord. Balance, which comes from fear of the Lord, is a virtue that enables us to use the good things of this life with gratitude, wisdom, justice,  kindness and generosity.  Jesus was not being stern when he added those “Woes” to his beatitudes.  Like a good parent, he was teaching that we, who are sinners, often abuse the best things in this wonderful life God has given us, using them in ways that are self-destructive and hurt others.  Think of food, drink, sex, power, wealth, prestige, etc.  

To really understand the beatitudes it is necessary to read them in the two Gospels of St. Matthew (5:1-12) and St. Luke (6:20-26) and St. Luke’s further explanation of love of enemies, judging others and the consequences of following his teaching or not in of the same chapter.  Some scholars claim that the different versions of the beatitudes come from two different oral traditions used by St. Matthew and St. Luke.  I prefer Bishop Robert Barron’s explanation that Jesus gave the same talk on two different occasions in two different places.  He didn’t use written notes, so he taught the same thing, but not with the exact same words and metaphors.  (If you want to hear a wonderful homily on bear of the Lord and the beatitudes, check Bishop Barron on You Tube for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.)

In St. Luke’s Gospel the blessing or beatitude in each case is promised by Jesus to the poor who will receive the kingdom of God, the hungry who will be satisfied, the weeping who will laugh and the hated and persecuted who will receive a great reward in heaven.  St. Matthew adds blessings for those who mourn who will be comforted, the meek who will inherit the land, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness who will be satisfied, for the merciful who will be shown mercy, for the clean of heart or the single-hearted who will see God and finally for the peacemakers who will be called children of God.  

Notice that many of these rewards or blessings are not left for heaven.  They will be given here on earth.  By whom?  As St. Thomas Aquinas observed, “God likes to act through secondary causes.”  That means us. Remember that when you walk a mile for Alzheimer patients or make your donation to St. Jude’s Hospital for children who are handicapped or suffering from cancer.  You are listening to Jesus and becoming his disciple like those who heard him on the mountain and on the plain.  We are all called to fulfill Jesus’ promises.

Father Carville is a retired priest in the Diocese of Baton Rouge and writes on current topics for The Catholic Commentator. He can be reached at johnny [email protected].