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Andrew M. Greenwell: St. Bonaventure and the Fear of the Lord

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It is important to have a healthy fear of God's judgments, because these can be experienced even in this life

The Church teaches that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given us as part of sanctifying or habitual grace.  If we are in a state of grace, these gifts are present.  The gifts of the Holy Spirit are similar to supernaturally-infused virtues in that they are permanent infused dispositions.  They are a guaranteed part of the "package" of sanctifying grace and being in a justified state. In fact, St. Bonaventure classifies the gifts of the Holy Spirit along with the infused virtues as part of the "strengthening grace" or gratia corroborans which God mercifully gives us.  Though both the virtues and the gifts are part of God's corroboration in our life in grace, instead of finding their basis in human reason as do the infused virtues, the gifts find their basis directly in God the Holy Spirit.

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (Catholic Online) - Relying on Isaiah 11:1-3 and the tradition of the Church, the Catholic Catechism teaches that there are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: 

"The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.  They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them.  They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations."  CCC 1831.

In his Letter to Priests on Holy Thursday in 1998, Pope St. John Paul II spoke of these seven gifts noting that the tradition of the Church, "following the Biblical and Patristic sources," called these the "sevenfold gift," the sacrum Septenarium--literally the "holy Seven."  "Scholastic theology gave thorough attention to this doctrine, amply illustrating its meaning and its characteristics," observed the Pope.

One such master of Scholastic theology who gave thorough attention to the "holy Seven" was the Franciscan luminary, St. Bonaventure, the Seraphic Doctor.  Late in the 13th century, St. Bonaventure gave a series of nine conferences on the gifts to his Franciscan confreres.  His lectures are not by any means dated, and they still represent valuable and timely teaching of the Church on spiritual verities and our interior life.

The Church teaches that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given us as part of sanctifying or habitual grace.  If we are in a state of grace, these gifts are present.  The gifts of the Holy Spirit are similar to supernaturally-infused virtues in that they are permanent infused dispositions.  They are a guaranteed part of the "package" of sanctifying grace and being in a justified state.

In fact, St. Bonaventure classifies the gifts of the Holy Spirit along with the infused virtues as part of the "strengthening grace" or gratia corroborans which God mercifully gives us.  Though both the virtues and the gifts are part of God's corroboration in our life in grace, instead of finding their basis in human reason as do the infused virtues, the gifts find their basis directly in God the Holy Spirit.
 
The infused virtues allow God to act in us through human reason.  The gifts, on the other hand, are the means God uses to act in us by divine movement.  Since the gifts rely on a sort of "external" divine impetus (while the virtues are more "internal" or human), the gifts requires a docility on our part to the movements of the Holy Spirit, who blows where it wills in directing us.
 
If we acquire the required internal docility and sensitivity, one can hear the sound of the Spirit, but it is difficult to tell, because our reason is not particularly directly involved, where the Spirit comes from or where it is going.  (John 3:8)  The secret to docility is humility and not being attached to any sin or having disordered attachments to the goods of this world.

The virtues and gifts are not opposed to each other; they work in tandem.  Using a popular image, Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange in his Three Ages of the Interior Life likens the human soul to a boat powered by both sail and oars.  The gifts of the Holy Spirit are like the sails, the infused virtues are like oars.  "These two ways of advancing" in the Christian life observes the great Dominican theologian, "are quite distinct, although they may be united or simultaneous."  St. Bonaventure would have agreed.

St. Bonaventure's notions, which are soundly based in Scripture and Tradition, are perfectly in accord with the teaching of the Church.  "The moral life of Christians," the current Catechism states, "is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  These are permanent dispositions which make man docile in following the promptings of the Holy Spirit."  CCC 1830.

After an introductory lecture that deals with the place of the gifts in the supernatural life of grace, St. Bonaventure-following the lead of Pope St. Gregory the Great-treats the gifts in inverse order, beginning with the "fear of the Lord" (timor Domini) and ending with "wisdom"" (sapientia).  "Fear," Proverbs 9:10 reminds us as does St. Bonaventure, is the "beginning of wisdom."

Modernly, there is a resistance in using the word "fear" when it comes to man's relationship with God; the notion of fear seems to be out of favor.  This is shameful, however, because the notion is deeply scriptural.  In fact, if you were to have the audacity to take a pencil and scratch out the various references of fear of God from the scriptures, it would be nothing less than a crass act of bowdlerization.

More, as St. Thomas Aquinas makes clear in his Summa Theologiae there is an intimate relationship between fear of the Lord and faith.  Faith is the impetus behind fear of the Lord, since it is faith in God that gives rise to our fear of judgment and, more importantly for the Christian life, a living faith is the cause of a healthy filial fear "because it makes man adhere to God and to be subject to Him by charity."  [S.T., IaIIae, q. 7, art. 1, c.]

The moderns disdain of the gift of fear of the Lord, then, may be more a sign of lack of faith in God and his revelation, and not a spiritual advance.

We might reprove moderns who disdain or mistrust this gift of fear of the Lord as the relic of a less enlightened age with the words of admonishment of the good thief to the wicked thief whom Jesus promised paradise: "Do you not fear God?" (Cf. Luke 23:40)

St. Bonaventure did not have such a negative perception of this gift.  To him, fear of the Lord was "the most beautiful tree planted in the heart of a holy man which God waters continuously."  [II.6]  One should therefore mistrust modern theologians or spiritual directors who downplay the gift of "fear of the Lord," as they are essentially steering you away from a "most beautiful tree," one which bears much fruit, including love of God.

The "fear of the Lord" that St. Bonaventure had in mind was more than a mere reverence, but it certainly was not a form of terror or dread.  It is the sort of trembling that experiences before the mysterium tremendum et fascinans that is God.  The beautiful hymn from the liturgy of St. James Sigesato Pasa Sarx Broteia, as freely translated by Gerard Moultrie, seems perfectly to encapsulate what is involved in the "fear of the Lord."
 
Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth
Our full homage to demand.

The fear that St. Bonaventure had in mind is sort of a continuum that spans a certain range-depending upon one's perfection in the life of grace-from "servile fear" to "filial fear" to a fear driven out by love which is indistinguishable from love.  (Cf. 1 John 4:17-18).

Part of St. Bonaventure's appreciation of the gift of fear of the Lord is that it is the gift that best helps overcome the gift of pride.  Since God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6), the gift of fear of the Lord increases grace by encouraging humility.

St. Bonaventure, who had a penchant for dividing things into three, divided his analysis of the gift of the fear of the Lord into its origin, its utility, and its perfection.

The origin of the gift of the fear of the Lord comes from our awareness of God's omnipotence, of His omnipresence and omniscience, and of His justice.  It is impossible to escape from God's power, his perspicacity, and the severity of His justice. 

As the Psalms put it: "If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I descend to Hell, You are present."  (Ps. 139[138]:8)  God is everywhere, and sees all.  As St. Bonaventure starkly puts it, "There is no creature which is not naked in his eyes."

It is important to have a healthy fear of God's judgments, because these can be experienced even in this life.  Perceptively, St. Bonaventure distinguished "seven judgments."  "For seven are God's judgments; six of them are in the presence, and the seventh follows death."

In level of increasing severity, the judgments of God in this life according to St. Bonaventure are: bondage to sin, blindness to sin, obstinacy in sin, abandonment by God in sin (dereliction), dissipation, and despair.  The final judgment is eternal condemnation.  The first six judgments might be called "severe mercies," and God intends them as a sort of wake-up call to repentance.

A healthy fear of sin is based upon a healthy fear of the Lord, and such a fear helps us to avoid serious sin, and even set our sights on overcoming venial sins and imperfections as the fear moves from servile, to filial, to love-based.

For this reason, the gift of fear of the Lord is eminently useful in the spiritual life, the life of grace.

St. Bonaventure identifies three benefits or utilities to the gift of fear of the Lord.  First, it allows for the influence of God's actual graces.  Second, it obtains, increases, or confirms us in sanctifying grace.  Third, it is the first step to wisdom.  Indeed, as St. Bonaventure curtly puts it: Qui non timet Deum, nihil scit.  "He who does not fear God, knows nothing."  [II.18]

While modernly we tend to emphasize God's mercy at the expense of His justice, and so minimize the need for fear of the Lord, this is not how St. Bonaventure or Scripture view it.  Mercy is tied to justice, and is tied to fear of the Lord.

"We cannot have the grace of God," St. Bonaventure says, "except through the fear of God because 'the mercy of the Lord is from eternity and unto eternity upon those who fear Him.'"  [II.15 (quoting Ps. 102:17)]

You want God's mercy?  Here is St. Bonaventure's advice: avoid sin and develop a healthy fear of the Lord.

St. Bonaventure identifies three fruits of fear of the Lord, that "most beautiful tree" planted in the soul by the Holy Spirit.  The first is perfect sanctification or cleansing of conscience.  The second is promptitude of obedience to God.  The third is perfect firmness of trust in the Lord.  These, of course, are fruits we should all be seeking.

God and His grace is too great a gift to risk the loss of.  We ought therefore remember--as the first defense against the loss of grace and the avoidance of mortal sin and the first step toward a life of faith that lives in charity, the words of St. Bonaventure: Qui Deum timet, securus est ubique.  "He who fears God, remains firmly secure in Him."" [II.21]

As Christians we should desire all the gifts, but we should remember that all of the gifts--especially that most precious gift of wisdom, even the gift of love--rely on the first step of the fear of the Lord.  As Padre Pio put it, when it comes to God "You should be afraid when you are not afraid anymore."

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Andrew M. Greenwell is an attorney licensed to practice law in Texas, practicing in Corpus Christi, Texas.  He is married with three children.  He maintains a blog entirely devoted to the natural law called Lex Christianorum.  You can contact Andrew at agreenwell@harris-greenwell.com.

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