Are You Comfortable Addressing God as the “Lord”?

A friend of mine who is a Protestant pastor often refers to the “Lord” rather than “God” which is something I never do except in the liturgy or prayers. He also says things like “The Lord spoke to me yesterday”, something I have never experienced.

Perhaps if I was a mystic the Lord would speak directly to me but I am definitely not. This may explain why I am reluctant to use the term “Lord” as I feel it diminishes the concept of the Deity in an overfamiliar way. I understand why other people use it but I don´t feel comfortable doing so.

The word “Lord” is simply the English translation of “Kurios” in Greek and “Adonai” in Hebrew and was used to highlight the absolute power God has over us. Jesus is also referred to as the “Lord” in many parts of the New Testament and in our daily prayers.

The idea of the Lord is based on a social structure that developed over millennia as Mankind recognized a need for strong leadership and accepted a hierarchy in which one human being was superior to another. This superiority, which was originally based on the physical prowess of an individual who could enforce his will on others, changed as societies evolved. Social systems arose in which ruling classes operated within a structure headed by a monarch and propped up by an aristocratic caste. The term “Lord” was used as a form of reverence by inferiors towards their social superiors.

That is where the figure of Jesus comes in. “Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son. Lord God, Lamb of God…” as he appears in the Gloria.

By sending his son down to live among us in human form God reached out and formed an intimate link with us. By allowing Jesus to be conceived within the womb of a mortal woman he made him one of us. 

It is this very proximity to the Deity that is one of the most appealing aspects of Catholicism and explains why most of us can address him directly as the Lord. Perhaps one day I will able to do so too.

© John Brander Fitzpatrick 2026