FOLLOW HIS WAYS
Choosing to keep the Commandments will
certainly help save us. The readings for this Sunday exhort us to keep the
Commandments, but they also remind us that doing so is not as simple as it may
first appear. Fortunately, the Scriptures give us guidance in the sometimes
complex call to "follow the law of the Lord." We need to realize that
we have a choice. The Book of Sirach tells us that God sets before us
"fire and water...life and death...good and evil" (Sir 15:16-17).
Yes, we can choose what to do!
God's law is about more than just
following the rules. We hear from Jesus Christ that the key to keeping the
Commandments is the state of one's inner self. And, the idea that you and I can
lean on God's wisdom is most helpful. "Immense is the wisdom of the Lord"
(Sir 15:18a). Our heavenly Father sees all and understands all, and though His
wisdom is mysterious, it is revealed to all who love Him. Saint Paul says,
"What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered
the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love Him, this God has
revealed to us through the Spirit" (1 Cor 2:9-10). If we love, we will
follow His ways!
Jesus taught reverence for God's law -
reverence for God Himself, for the Lord's Day; reverence and respect for parents,
respect for life, for property, for another person's good name; respect for
oneself and for one's neighbor lest wrong or hurtful desires master us. The
reverence for the Commandments teaches us the way of love; love of God and love
of others. What is impossible for humans is possible for God, our Father.
God gives us the grace to love as He
loves, to forgive as He forgives, to think as He thinks, and to act as He acts.
God loves righteousness and hates anger, rage or revenge; all things that are
unhealthy and cause us harm. The antidote for all this, of course, is mercy,
kindness and forbearance springing from a heart full of love and forgiveness.
God always calls for this in our lives! In today's Responsorial Psalm, we
proclaim, "Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord" (Ps
119:1b). The great song of the law unfolds the wonder of living in God's ways.
I will end with a couple of thoughts for
you to ponder on:
Wisdom is a saving gift of the Spirit.
Think of a time when Wisdom has revealed herself to you and set you correctly
on your course.
Honestly assess how you use God's
Commandments. Are they ever-present guides for greater love or used as tools to
judge others?