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The last time I went to Confession, the priest suggested that I read a chapter of the Bible daily. I have done this since then, starting with Sirach, one of the Wisdom books. During my reading journey, I noticed a recurring theme throughout this book: fear of the Lord. 

I must admit, fear of the Lord has been a topic that has been popping up in my life a lot lately. I first heard an explanation of fear of the Lord from my pastor in one of his homilies. He said that fear of the Lord is not being scared of God but, because you love Him, fearing being separated from Him for all eternity. This got me thinking that separation of God is separation from Love Itself. Think about it! 

How hard it is when a friend or when a loved one moves away. You feel such loneliness without that person. You no longer see them regularly and miss out on heart-to-heart talks with them in face-to-face interactions.  This loss is definitely a heavy cross to bear. Or how about even facing something harder such as the death of a loved one? Your paths no longer cross in this earthly life. How much internal pain and suffering we feel with this loss of a loved one. However, as wretched as this feeling is, perhaps one of the reasons God allows it is for us to imagine how much greater the pain would be without God who loves us the most. He created us, died for us, and longs for us to be with Him in Heaven despite knowing our biggest transgressions. This is ultimate true love! 

We should love Him in return and want to do so. Of course, we can never give the Lord the love He deserves because He is infinite, and we are only finite creatures. However, that does not mean we cannot give our whole being to Him, which will surely make Him smile upon our life. 

So, I suggest that you take the time to open your Bible and ponder over Sirach, because there is so much holy wisdom to be gained over these fifty-one chapters. The time on earth to start a loving relationship with God is never too late, and He speaks so much to us through Sacred Scripture. Speaking of which, here is a biblical passage that stood out to me from Sirach that explains fear of the Lord. 

“He who fears the LORD will have a happy end; even on the day of his death he will be blessed. The beginning of wisdom is fear of the LORD, which is formed with the faithful in the womb. With devoted men was she created from of old, and with their children her beneficence abides. Fullness of wisdom is fear of the LORD; she inebriates men with her fruits. Her entire house she fills with choice foods, her granaries with her harvest. Wisdom’s garland is fear of the LORD, with blossoms of peace and perfect health. Knowledge and full understanding she showers down; she heightens the glory of those who possess her. The root of wisdom is fear of the LORD; her branches are length of days. One cannot justify unjust anger; anger plunges a man to his downfall. A patient man need stand firm but for a time, and then contentment comes back to him. For a while he holds back his words, then the lips of many herald his wisdom. Among wisdom’s treasures is the paragon of prudence; but fear of the LORD is an abomination to the sinner. If you desire wisdom, keep the commandments, and the LORD will bestow her upon you; For fear of the LORD is wisdom and culture; loyal humility is his delight. Be not faithless to the fear of the LORD, nor approach it with duplicity of heart. Play not the hypocrite before men; over your lips keep watch. Exalt not yourself lest you fall and bring upon you dishonor; For then the LORD will reveal your secrets and publicly cast you down, Because you approached the fear of the LORD with your heart full of guile.” Sirach 1:11-29 

 A beautiful quote that I found that sums up fear of the Lord simply yet in a powerful way is from Saint Francis de Sales. He said, “We must fear God out of love, not love Him out of fear.” 

In truth, God speaks to us all if we only have an open heart to listen and respond. Wherever you find yourself in this life does not matter if you make the choice right now to turn to Him. If you want God to lead you to Him, He will. So, I encourage you to read your Scriptures. God has messages for you. Actually, your inbox is full of them.