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Monday, February 21, 2011
Sirach 1:1-10
Psalm 93:1-2, 5
Mark 9:14-29
Guard your eyes that they may not look upon anything contrary to purity; your ears, that they may not listen to evil conversation; your mind, by banishing from it all suggestive thoughts; your heart, by stifling impure desires at their very birth.
-- St. John Baptist de la Salle
Read more: http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/inspiration.htm#22#ixzz1EdgzDzdE
“Fear of the Lord warms the heart.” (Sirach 1:10)
The Book of Sirach comes out of the “wisdom” tradition that also gave us books like Proverbs and Job. This compilation was written in Hebrew by a fellow named Jesus ben Sirach around 200 b.c.and translated into Greek seventy years later by his grandson. In his introduction, he commends his grandfather not only for studying the law, the prophets, and the other sacred writings but also for trying to help other people understand them. And so he invites us to read the book “in a spirit of attentive good will” (Sirach Introduction, verse 15).
All wisdom has its source in God, who lavishes it on his friends. Like the other wisdom writers, Sirach tells us that “fear of the Lord” is the beginning and the end of human wisdom (Sirach 1:1,12).
Perhaps you were raised with the notion of God as a stern judge keeping careful watch, waiting to pounce on your slightest indiscretion and punish you severely. Who wouldn’t fear such a Lord, powerful enough to make it extremely uncomfortable for his subjects? But how could this kind of servile fear lead to “glory and splendor, gladness and a festive crown”? How could it “warm the heart, giving gladness and joy” (Sirach 1:9,10)?
No, reverence for the God revealed in Scripture is nothing like that. To fear God is to be in awe of his power and knowledge. To fear him is to bow before mysteries we can never comprehend, like the fact that God gave us freedom to choose, even though our free choices often have dire consequences for ourselves and others. To fear God is to dare to believe that he created each one of us to know, love, and serve him in this life and be happy with him forever.
God is so much greater than we could ever ask, and so much closer than we could ever imagine. He loves us so much that he has taken on our flesh, forgiven our sins, and defeated our most terrifying enemies—even the last enemy, death.
This is a God to love, a God to reverence, and a God to honor with our whole lives!
“Lord, I am in awe of your majesty, your power, and your holiness. Most of all, I am in awe of your love. Let that love empower me to please you in all my thoughts, words, and actions.”
http://wau.org/meditations/current/
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