Saturday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
When Joshua gathers the people of Israel together, he tells them what is required of them if they wish to serve the LORD by saying, “Fear the LORD and serve him completely and sincerely.” If we decided to follow the Lord we must love and serve him with our entire being, for Jesus says, “Love the lord you God with all heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).
It is important to remember that we are not forced into this covenant with our God, but we are presented with the question; will you serve the God of your fathers and become his children, or will you serve the idols of sin and death? Like the people of Israel, we must reflect on the love, fidelity, support, and blessings we have received from our God and decide if, “we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.” It is true that at times we will find it hard to live in this covenant of Love. We will become distracted by the strange god of sin and overwhelming temptations; for the evil one will seek to destroy us but we must take courage, for as God says to St. Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). This perfect power gives us the courage to say without hesitation, “We will serve the LORD, our God, and obey his voice!” and thus we will enter into the Covenant of Love with our God and become his children. Then we will hear the voice of Jesus calling out to us, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Reflection by Br. Placid Dale, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections