I grew up in a family where any complaint was met with, thank God you have this or that. So hearing alot of complaints gets to me... so of course I pray for them. But what you said definitely reminds me of my grandmother. She could hardly walk in her 90s and would thank God that she could wash dishes...Rosary around her neck so she could find it... thank you.
This is such a very helpful explanation and important distinction, thank you. The precision of language is so important. We as adults tend to skip using dictionaries (including Catholic dictionaries) as often as we should, and just assume we know the true meaning and definition of words, when we often don't. Knowing the correct and accurate meaning of one simple word could get us lost in fruitful thought for hours if only we understood it's meaning correctly to begin with.
I believe one of the chief causes of the symptoms in the Church in modern times is the loss of the Fear of God. The Church scandals and their mismanagement could not have happened if there was any genuine Fear of the Lord. I also think Fear of the Lord, one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, is one of the most misunderstood terms in the Church today, and is wrongly considered as some type of terror, tyranny or oppression. I see Fear of the Lord according to this analogy (and all analogies are imperfect), a good Fisherman, truly loves the sea, and runs towards it, makes his life, living and sustenance upon it, but he also has a very healthy understanding and Fear of the Sea, in that if you don't respect it, try to understand it, and what it does, it's nature and it's incredible power, the sea is going to do what the sea does regardless. It would be a foolish fisherman indeed that did not have a healthy respect and fear of the sea as well a deep love for it. Another imperfect analogy is that all good electricians must surely be fascinated with and love working with electricity and movement of charged particles and what it can do, but it would be a foolish electrician indeed that did not have a healthy respect and fear of the electricity as well a deep love for it. An fruitful exercise is to search the scriptures for the term fear of the Lord, and see the many dozens of truly amazing promises given to those that do, including : Psalm 34:7-9 "The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing." I also think that without a healthy Fear of the Lord there can be no healthy respect and understanding of the Eucharist, transubstantiation and the true presence. I sadly see very few Catholics now that genuflect anymore in front of the tabernacle, or even really understand the gesture and the reason, and there is such an unhealthy and cavalier casualness going on and around most sanctuaries now. God forgive us, for we know not what we do.
