What is the Fear of God?
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS
“The spirit of the Lord seeks for a person that is mortified and despised, considered of little value, cast aside and reproached, one who strives for humility, patience, unfeigned singleness of heart, true spiritual peace, and always and above all, longs for the fear of the Lord, the wisdom of God, the love of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.” (St Francis, 1)
The fear of God
The term can mean fear of God's judgment. However, from a theological perspective "fear of the Lord" encompasses more than simple fear. In the Magnificat (Luke 1:50) Mary declaims, "His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him." With the world in its current state, we should be afraid of God’s judgment if we are living an immoral life.
- My view of God is respect and love for His grandeur, and I strive to sin no more. I’ve been doing this for the past 40+ years. I’m not bragging, but just saying that if you try to sin no more, control your thoughts and urges, you will succeed, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
- We are in a time within the Novena of Pentecost, a time of anticipation, of beauty. Use it well.
May 18th --
- Today (May 18), Franciscans (particularly the Capuchins) are celebrating the Feast of Saint Felix of Cantalice. Felix Porri was the third of four sons born to Santi and Santa Porri. They were poor farmers. At about the age of ten, Felix was hired out first as a shepherd to a family at Cittàducale, where he later worked as a farm hand. Until the age of twenty-eight he worked as a farm laborer and shepherd. He developed the habit of praying while he worked. One day, while plowing a field, something spooked the oxen and he fell. He was trampled, the plow passing over his body. However, he arose uninjured, and in gratitude immediately entered a Capuchin monastery. Toward the end of autumn 1543, Felix entered the newly founded Capuchin friars as a lay brother at the Citta Ducale friary in the municipality of Anticoli Corrado. It is said that he was noted for his piety. In 1547 he was sent to Rome as quaestor of the Capuchin Friary of St. Bonaventure, where he spent his remaining 40 years begging alms to help in the friars' work of aiding the sick and the poor.
In Rome, Brother Felix became a familiar sight, wandering barefoot through the streets, with a sack slung over his shoulders, knocking on doors to seek donations. He received permission from his superiors to help the needy, especially widows with many children. It is said that his begging sack was as bottomless as his heart. Brother Felix blessed all benefactors and all those he met with a humble "Deo Gratias!" (thanks be to God!), causing many to refer to him as "Brother Deo Gratias". Felix was so successful in his work that during the famine of 1580, the political leader of Rome asked the Capuchins if they would 'lend' Felix to them so he could collect food and provisions for the entire city. The Capuchins agreed and Felix embraced his new task.
He preached in the street, rebuked corrupt politicians and officials, and exhorted young men to stop leading dissolute lives. He also composed simple teaching canticles, and arranged for children to gather in groups to sing them as a way to teach them the catechism.
The plain-spoken Brother Felix was a good friend of St. Philip Neri and an acquaintance of Charles Borromeo. Felix developed a reputation as a healer. As he got older, his superior ordered him to wear sandals to protect his health. Cardinal Santori had offered to use his influence to have the elderly Felix relieved of the difficult task of questing, but Felix refused.
Felix died in Rome in 1587 on his 72nd birthday and was buried in the crypt of the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini.
(1) (From:
https://sacred-texts.com/chr/wosf/wosf06.htm -- First Rule of the Friars Minor; [From the Writings of Saint Francis].
Other credits: text about May 18th Feast Day, from Wikipedia.org, and Capuchin General website