The lecture discusses the concept of the fear of God as explained by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, showing that true fear is not terror, but a holy reverence that comes from respecting God, His commandments, and everything related to Him. This fear is the fruit of long spiritual training that restores to the person the sanctity of thought, heart, and behavior.

1️⃣ The Nature of the Fear of God

His Holiness explains that perfect love casts out fear, but the believer keeps within his heart a type of reverence toward God, which is the holy fear that protects a person from carelessness and lack of seriousness.

2️⃣ Practical Trainings to Attain Fear

• To feel ashamed to do before God what one is ashamed to do before people.

• Purity of thought and feelings, for God examines hearts.

• Avoiding duality: one image before people and another within.

• Remembering that God, the angels, and the saints’ spirits see a person at all times.

3️⃣ Reverence for Holy Places

His Holiness stresses respecting the church and the sanctuary, keeping silence and awe inside God’s house, and not turning it into a place for chatting or improper movement. He also emphasizes preserving awe during prayers and sacraments.

4️⃣ Respect for Prayer and the Holy Bible

Part of the fear of God is to pray with humility and controlled senses, and to treat the Holy Bible with reverence—placing nothing on top of it and reading it with the spirit of prayer.

5️⃣ Fear of God in Daily Life

• Keeping vows and promises made before God.

• Obedience and avoiding complaints.

• Refraining from using God’s name in vain.

• Respecting parents, elders, and teachers, because losing reverence in human relationships leads gradually to losing reverence toward God.

6️⃣ Preparation for Spiritual Practices

Before prayer, entering the church, or serving, a person should prepare himself with reverence, prayer, and meditation, because preparation opens the heart to true fear.

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