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Views from the Choir Loft

The Fear of the Lord

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · November 7, 2013

225 Hieronymus Bosch “Last Judgment” (Hieronymus Bosch) S SAINT Thomas Aquinas explains in the Summa theologiae (II-II, qu. 19), the gift of the Holy Spirit that corresponds to the theological virtue of hope is fear of the Lord.

There are two basic types of fear: servile and filial. Servile fear is the slave’s fear of a master who will punish him for wrongdoing. Filial fear, also known as reverential fear, is the good child’s fear of dishonoring a loving parent. The Spirit’s gift to us is filial fear, as befits adopted “sons in the Son.”

At this point one would do well to recall the traditional Catholic understanding of punishment. The one who does wrong to another has wilfully violated or withheld the good owed to that other, and therefore deserves to be deprived, against his will, of some good of his own. Punishment goes against what one would want for oneself according to sensuality or the will of nature; accordingly, it is displeasing. Rightly so: he who chooses to cling to a good in a disordered way, deserves to have some good taken away from him without his choice, for the restoration of order. Hence, one could say that servile fear is fear of being displeased, of being punished by a judge, and is thus essentially selfish; whereas filial fear is fear of being displeasing, of doing wrong to a friend, and is thus essentially concerned with the beloved, the honor and love due to him.

In this way, the more we love God, the less we will fear in the manner of slaves cowering before a punitive Master, but the more intensely we will hold in reverential fear His great paternal goodness, which is worthy of all of our loving service—indeed, worthy of far more than we can render to Him even in the measureless span of eternity—and against which we rightly fear to sin.

For Saint Thomas (and the larger tradition he inherits), there are two vices opposed to hope: despair and presumption (cf. II-II, qq. 20–21). Despair is a vice in the direction of defectiveness: it is to abandon one’s hope of attaining the goal of heaven when one is, in fact, capable of attaining it with God’s help. Presumption, on the contrary, is a vice in the direction of excess: one has an inflated hope, laying claim to some reward beyond one’s actual merits. Instead of soaring to heaven by God’s help (which is the very basis of our hope), we think to do it on our own—and that is a sin against hope.

Note that the one who despairs has a false understanding of God, much like a slave could have a false picture of a good master: God’s mercy is forgotten, and God’s desire to save us grows distant from our minds. One who presumes, on the other hand, has a false understanding of himself: he thinks he has what it takes to reach perfection. He loses the reverential fear that tells him how utterly poor he is as a creature and how great is the Lord’s uncreated glory. So he forgets God’s primacy in saving him.

WHAT PRECEPTS OR COMMANDS of the Law are given in regard to hope and fear (cf. II-II, qu. 22)? Saint Thomas observes that Sacred Scripture is constantly urging us to place our hope in God by way of promises, warnings, and commands, because so much is at stake when it comes to where we place, or do not place, our hope—no less a good than our very salvation, which can only come from God. God so loves us that He commands us to place our hope in Him, knowing what is best for us and willing our happiness.

Confronted with such fatherly generosity, how could we not love Him in return and run to Him with trust, casting off the slave’s despair and the presumption of the self-made man, approaching Him with reverent fear to receive from His outstretched hands the crown of immortality?

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Saint Thomas Aquinas Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Dr. Peter Kwasniewski

A graduate of Thomas Aquinas College (B.A. in Liberal Arts) and The Catholic University of America (M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy), Dr. Peter Kwasniewski is currently Professor at Wyoming Catholic College. He is also a published and performed composer, especially of sacred music.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“The plan to definitively abolish the traditional Tridentine Mass … if it is true, seems to me to be an insult to the history of the Church and to Sacred Tradition, a diabolical project that seeks to break with the Church of Christ, the apostles, and the saints.”

— The Vatican’s chief liturgist (appointed by Pope Francis) from 2014-2021

Recent Posts

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  • Boston Auxiliary Bishop: “In offering the Traditional Mass for the first time, after removing the vestments, I knelt in the back pew and wept.”

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