Thursday, January 27, 2011

Sir 1, 22 Fear of the LORD is abomination to the sinner

Sirach

(Sir 1, 22) Fear of the LORD is abomination to the sinner

[22] Among wisdom's treasures is the paragon of prudence; but fear of the LORD is an abomination to the sinner.

(CCC 2339) Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom. The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy (Cf. Sir 1:22). "Man's dignity therefore requires him to act out of conscious and free choice, as moved and drawn in a personal way from within, and not by blind impulses in himself or by mere external constraint. Man gains such dignity when, ridding himself of all slavery to the passions, he presses forward to his goal by freely choosing what is good and, by his diligence and skill, effectively secures for himself the means suited to this end" (GS 17).

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