IC I:21, 26^th Sunday of Year A

“If you wish to grow in holiness, you must live in the fear of God.” That statement opens the 21^st chapter of the first part of the Imitation of Christ and rehearses a fundamental precept of the spiritual life. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, Scripture says, and it is likewise the basis of the devout life. To become a religious person, one who lives piously, means that he has put himself under the ‘dome’ of God. He recognizes that he is under God, that God sees all he does, hears all his secret thoughts. A religious person has a sense of shame at the mention of sin and when he hears God’s name or religious matters being spoken of he is drawn to them because he has an affinity for spiritual things. This is that kind of “fear of the Lord” that has reverence for God and awes at his magnificence.

This kind of devout person is becoming something of a scarcity. As a child, I often observed such persons. This was in happier days when the Church’s holiness was more manifest and people generally were respectful of God, of the Church and of all things relating to our holy faith. This was succeeded by a season of openness, of ‘letting it all hang out’ of being ‘real’ and of the liberation movements from all that was formerly held sacred. The result: people often now have a problem with “fear of the Lord” either because they have a disproportionate dread of God’s punishments on the one hand, or they have continued to become involved in religion but have no religiosity. Such has been my explanation of the crisis in the priesthood at this time: we have professionals who do the job of priesting but too often do not have men who live under the dome of God–as so we have religious trivialities and superficialities for our Catholic religion and a caricature of the holy priesthood. But my point here is not to speak of priests, but of the laity. You should always speak of God with reverence; bow your head at the mention of the holy name; come into the church with profound adoration; fear to offend him by sin; receive Him in Communion recognizing your privilege as an unworthy but invited partaker of the Lord’s body. This reverential posture ought to carry over into our daily affairs so that in all things you are ever aware of the divine Presence.

You may know that many Jews yet today when at prayer wear over their shoulders and their heads a prayer shawl. They do this in observance of an ancient biblical law. This practice is a reminder that the worshiper is ‘under God’ and it thus gives external expression to what is written in the 91^st psalm:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, who abides in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, ‘You are my refuge and fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ God will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge.

In this connection there is much to be gained from reading the portion of the Imitation selected for today. “Do not seek too much freedom, but discipline all your senses, and do not engage in foolish occupations; give yourself rather to contrition of heart, and you will find true devotion.” A religious sort of man has the sense that all he does has weight, has significance. He is never entirely at home in this world because he knows that his everlasting future lies elsewhere. He is never drawn down to the depths of despair or extreme unhappiness because he has a liberty of soul an true joy in belonging to God. (One should not neglect to notice in the Imitation that there is always the theme of personal perfection. To be a spiritual person one has to face God honestly and needs to withdraw from time to time from the company of others. The irony is that those who fear the Lord rightly are the least fearful of men. They have a security which is profoundly anchored in God. It is, on the other hand, characteristic of the ungodly that they always require the company of others for security, for amusement, for distraction. They are not at peace.) So, don’t be sad if you do not enjoy popularity. Be saddened only if you do not live well as befits a servant of God and a devout, religious person. Aim at dying a holy death rather than having a long life and you will live a better life.

The Scriptures of the Mass teach us that our past sinful lives are not an obstacle for us who have made a change in our direction. Doing God’s will is always open to us who accept the grace of conversion and the invitation to become religious people–those who live “in the fear of God.”