Dear Family of Mary
Fear of the Lord is glory and splendor,
gladness and a festive crown.
Fear of the Lord warms the heart,
giving gladness and joy and length of days.
He who fears the Lord will have a happy end;
even on the day of his death he will be blessed.
The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord,
which is formed with the faithful in the womb.
With devoted men was she created from of old,
and with their children her beneficence abides.
Fullness of wisdom is fear of the Lord;
she inebriates men with her fruits.
Her entire house she fills with choice foods,
her granaries with her harvest.
Wisdom’s garland is fear of the Lord,
with blossoms of peace and perfect health.
Knowledge and full understanding she showers down;
she heightens the glory of those who possess her.
The root of wisdom is fear of the Lord;
her branches are length of days. (Sirach 1: 11-29)
Yesterday, in the Office of Readings, we read this passage from Sirach 1, all about wisdom. But I noticed that there was a phrase repeated in the reading that has always interested and puzzled me. It is “Fear of the Lord”. We know that this fear is a holy fear, a righteous fear, and good fear. But still it is fear. And so as I was praying about it, I asked Our Lady if she has ever spoken about the Fear of the Lord in her messages.
And she reminded me of another phrase that she has used many times, “Put God in the first place in your life.” We have heard her say that many times. It is a favorite with her. Here is one message:
February 25, 2005 “Dear children! Today I call you to be my extended hands in this world that puts God in the last place. You, little children, put God in the first place in your life. God will bless you and give you strength to bear witness to Him, the God of love and peace. I am with you and intercede for all of you. Little children, do not forget that I love you with a tender love. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
And as I thought about it, I realized that putting God in the first place in our lives is the practical manifestation of Fear of the Lord. Fear of the Lord is the healthy and honest demonstration of who God is and what we owe Him. God is our Creator, Lord, King, Master, Teacher, Savior, and Father. He is everything powerful and good and trustworthy to us. The right response to that is to “Put God in the first place in our lives!”
And so I went back to the reading from Sirach and replaced the words, “Fear of the Lord” with “Putting God in the first place in our life” and read the passage, and wow it came alive for me. See what you think:
Putting God in the first place in your life is glory and splendor,
gladness and a festive crown.
Putting God in the first place in your life warms the heart,
giving gladness and joy and length of days.
He who puts God in the first place in his life will have a happy end;
even on the day of his death he will be blessed.
The beginning of wisdom is putting God in the first place in your life,
which is formed with the faithful in the womb.
With devoted men was she created from of old,
and with their children her beneficence abides.
Fullness of wisdom is in putting God in the first place in your life,
she inebriates men with her fruits.
Her entire house she fills with choice foods,
her granaries with her harvest.
Wisdom’s garland is putting God in the first place in your life,
with blossoms of peace and perfect health.
Knowledge and full understanding she showers down;
she heightens the glory of those who possess her.
The root of wisdom is putting God in the first place in your life,
her branches are length of days. (Sirach 1: 11-29)
Well, all the wonderful gifts and blessings that are described in this passage truly are the fruit of putting God in the first place in our lives, always, constantly, faithfully and with love. He will never fail us. With God in the first place in our lives, we will find our way to Heaven!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
(c)Mary TV 2022
PS. Mike Nolan has announced that he is leading four pilgrimages to Medjugorje in 2022. I recommend Mike’s pilgrimages!! They are amazingly prayerful and fruitful!! Here is his announcement. Mike writes:
I have dates set for Medjugorje this year! So many are excited to go! This year is a breakthrough year for Our Lady through the Holy Spirit! The time is now! I resurrected my website (painfully simple haha, just dates and contact info). Please share! To sign up, just call!
I send Jesus’ blessings and Our Lady’s invitation to you all!!!
I sincerely hope y’all can come,
Mike
+1-574-335-9952
Also I need help sponsoring a bunch of priests that want to come and several people who need assistance. I count on you guys! You are all so generous! Call me at 574-335-9952
