The Fear of the Lord

Divine Appeal Reflection - 16

Today, consider in Divine Appeal 16: "How many at such a early age are approaching damnation no longer wanting to be concerned with the fear of the Lord."

The fear of the Lord is not a paralyzing terror but a purifying awe which the soul is made to experience as God sees the world. It is a spiritual revival instead of a withdrawal from God, the soul is made to experience the fact that it is always in the presence of the living God. Instead of pushing the heart away, the fear softens and draws it near, revealing its true position.In addition to teaching the soul how to live in humble humility before God, this holy fear gently and gradually cleanses the heart of pride, illusion, and self-reliance. According to the Catechism, fear of the Lord is a gift from the Holy Spirit that is meant to purify rather than weaken love (cf. CCC 1831). It forms within us an interior awareness of God’s holiness, not as an idea, but as a living reality before which the soul learns to bow. St. Faustina helps us understand this mystery when she explains that holy fear is born from love, not from terror. The soul trembles because it has tasted God’s goodness and does not wish to wound the Heart that is infinitely merciful. It is not fear of punishment, but fear of separation from Love itself. Holy fear keeps the soul from being careless with grace, which is shown in the life of St. Faustina. It keeps love, humility, and awareness alive in the heart. It instructs us how to approach God intimately without losing the holy awe, to obey without being slaves, and to walk in freedom without losing respect—always living under the loving gaze of God. 

In Our Adorable Jesus, fear becomes filial devotion—confidence rooted in surrender—showing every vocation that closeness to God deepens, rather than diminishes, holy awe. Mary’s lowliness, Joseph’s silent faithfulness, and the prophets’ trembling all show a fear that enlarges the soul rather than shrinking it (cf. Lk 1:50). The Holy Scriptures refer to this fear as the starting point of wisdom, not because it imparts knowledge but rather because it safeguards it. It inhibits the brain so that the truth is not distorted by our wishes and the conscience is not silenced for the sake of convenience (cf. Prov 9:10; Ps 111:10). The fear of the Lord is nothing but this: understanding that eternity has started already, our choices really matter. This fear practically adds weight to everyday decisions for all vocations: it mentors the student to be honest, the employee to be faithful, the mother/father to be accountable, and the manager to be responsible before God. The saints explain that holy fear guards love, preventing it from dissolving into sentimentality (cf. Basil; Augustine).

The fear of the Lord is learned through faithful obedience practiced in ordinary circumstances.Our  Adorable Jesus teaches that love becomes real through concrete fidelity, not merely intention (cf. Jn 14:15). The Church insists that conscience must be patiently formed by prayer, Scripture, and moral truth if it is to judge rightly (cf. CCC 1783–1785). Abraham’s radical trust shows fear purified of self-interest—he feared losing God more than losing what he loved (cf. Gen 22:12). The great teachers of the Church clarify that as charity deepens, fear matures, becoming less about punishment and more about offending divine love (cf. Aquinas, ST II–II). Practically, holy fear is trained through habits that steady the soul: the daily offering of one’s life, honest examination of conscience, sacramental repentance, and reverent participation in worship (cf. Rom 12:1; CCC 1458; CCC 1385). The Holy Spirit speaks clearly to a reverent heart—warning before sin, correcting through truth, and confirming obedience with peace (cf. Gal 5:16–17; Col 3:15).

The Divine Appeal’s lament names a grave spiritual pathology: when the fear of the Lord recedes, the soul loses its capacity to perceive truth, and moral blindness sets in as both cause and consequence of sin (cf. Rom 3:18). Contemporary culture exalts self-expression detached from truth, training the young to assert desire rather than govern it. St. Augustine observed that when reverent fear is dismissed as restrictive, love degenerates into self-love, and captivity follows. Many now lose fear at a formative age through the normalization of impurity, casual dishonesty, and systematic contempt for legitimate authority—realities Scripture identifies as markers of interior disintegration rather than liberation (cf. 1 Cor 6:18–20; Prov 11:1; Rom 13:1). The instant fear departs, hell is allowed to intrude—not due to any lapse in God’s warnings, but because the human heart no longer heeds them. The saints speak with striking unanimity: irreverence is never to be underestimated, for it is often the decisive cause of complete spiritual ruin (cf. Chrysostom; John Bosco). Adults share responsibility when correction is avoided, virtue is no longer demanded, and success is separated from holiness (cf. Prov 13:24; Isa 5:20). Even David’s grave fall began with diminished vigilance, while his restoration began with renewed reverence (cf. 2 Sam 11; Ps 51). Where fear is lost, sin feels light—and eternity feels distant.

The restoration of holy fear requires humility, truth, and courage. Adorable Jesus calls souls back not by intimidation but by awakening childlike docility that makes room for grace (cf. Mt 18:3–4). Moral and spiritual development must start early and be maintained by example, according to Church doctrine (cf. CCC 2223). Families reestablish fear through devotion to worship, loving discipline, and prayer (cf. CCC 2177). Workplaces and institutions restore it by honoring integrity over convenience (cf. Mic 6:8). Leaders recover it by remembering that authority is exercised before God, not above Him (cf. Neh 5:15). The saints teach that the foundation of holy fear is humility—walking in truth (cf. Teresa of Ávila). The professional life of every person becomes an altar when it is lived in the fear of the Lord: marriage through continuous self-giving that reflects the love of Christ, parenthood through the gentle and patient shaping of consciences, youth through disciplined hope and purity of intention, suffering through silent union with the Cross, and hidden service through faithfulness that is not seen by the world. At every stage of life, reverence for God transforms mundane tasks into acts of worship and keeps love attentive to God (cf. Eph 5:25–27; Sir 2:1; Rom 12:1; CCC 2100). 

The mystery of damnation is inextricably linked to the fear of the Lord, not because God takes pleasure in endangering the soul but rather because this sacred fear awakens freedom to reality and its consequences. According to sacred scripture, it is a healing grace that sounds a loving alarm while return is still possible, before the heart hardens into a definitive refusal (cf. Mt 10:28; Prov 1:7). The Church teaches with sober certainty that no one is sent away by divine whim; condemnation is the terrible result of voluntary separation, sustained by grievous sin that has not been repented of and validated by the will itself (cf. CCC 1033, 1861).

The saints speak with grave tenderness on this point. They warn that fear rarely vanishes all at once; it fades as sin is excused, conversion deferred, and eternity pushed to the margins of thought. When holy fear disappears, hell is not usually denied but ignored, and the soul withers—not through open defiance, but through numbing indifference. In this manner, fear of the Lord is seen as a mercy's last watchman, who is standing at the point where freedom is still applicable and love can still be chosen (cf. Heb 3:12–13; Prov 16:6).The fear of the Lord does not only bring back the seriousness of sin and the joy of salvation, but also the awe that goes along with it. Where it is absent, there comes the sin of presumption: the sinner tries to soften sin, the sinner postpones repentance, and the sinner resists grace by habit of delay. Hence, to fear the Lord is not to run away from God but to live responsibly in front of Him—choosing life while mercy still invites, and responding before the hour of decision silently slips away (cf. Eccl 12:13–14; Rev 22:12). God delights in those who fear Him precisely because their hearts remain capable of conversion (cf. Ps 147:11; Dt 30:19).The Divine Appeal laments, with reason, how many even in youth drift toward ruin by rejecting reverence.Yet this fear is not despair; it is hope’s final safeguard. 

Prayer

Our Adorable Jesus, awaken in us holy fear before hearts grow cold. Rescue souls drifting toward ruin, especially the young. Heal presumption, restore reverence, and sharpen conscience. Teach us to fear losing You above all things, so that we may choose life and remain faithful. Amen.

Sr. Anna Ali of the Most Holy Eucharist, intercede for us.