During this Ordinary time in the liturgical season of the Church, we begin our journey through the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus challenges us to move beyond external acts of religion to examine our interior motivations. True faith starts and grows from a heart redeemed by God’s love.
On Wednesday as we begin the season of Lent, as Christians, as the Lord’s faithful disciples and followers, each and every one of us is reminded to truly obey the Lord in the Law and the commandments that He has given to us, His beloved people, in the manner that we truly understand, appreciate and know the full meaning and purpose of all that He has laid before us.
We must not be like those who merely pay lip service to our faith and belief in the Lord, and at the same time we must also not be like those who obey the letter of the Law but fail to truly appreciate and understand its spirit.
The prophet Sirach spoke of the matter of obedience to the Law and the commandments of God, and how God has given His people, the Israelites back then and now, also all of us, who have chosen Him as our Lord and Master, believing in His truth and teachings to follow Him.
We should always believe in Him wholeheartedly and with true understanding of His Law, His ways, and all of His precepts. As the prophet Sirach said, God has given us all the freedom to choose our paths and actions in life, but He has also made clear that if we side with Him and follow Him, we will be blessed, while those who choose to go against Him will face their just consequences in the end.
We are reminded that we should not merely be understanding the Law of God without truly appreciating what He has placed in our lives, the Law and the commandments by which He wants to teach us all how we can be His better disciples and followers.
We should not blindly follow Him without truly understanding His intentions, how He wants each and every one of us to understand His most wonderful, genuine and pure love, so that we ourselves may love Him in the same way, loving our brothers and sisters around us as well, and especially loving those whom He has given us to love, those who are truly precious and beloved in our lives.
God did not give us the spirit of confusion or ignorance, but rather the Spirit of Wisdom and clarity, in proclaiming His truth and love, His Good News to all of us without exception, as He has always revealed His love and gentle presence in our midst, calling on all of us to follow Him.