Restoration of Hope

Reflection on Today's Readings, Friday, 20th Week in Ordinary Time Year II, and Memorial of St. Pius X, 21st August, 2020
Texts: Ez. 37:1-14; Ps. 107:2-9; Matt. 22:34-40
Before God no hopeless situation; with God nothing is impossible. At the time of the first reading the people of Israel thought it was over with them. They had lost the hope of freedom from exile and return to their land. They said to themselves, 'we are dead'. They thought God had abandoned them and would not forgive them again. Though by their sins they were dead and dry as bones, God would bring them back to life again. Bringing them back to life means returning them to his ways. To be alive is to be in God; to be in God is to Walk in his ways. We cannot walk in the ways of the Lord if his Spirit does not dwell in us. Hence, God said, "I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live". Having the Spirit of God is being strengthened by God to walk in his ways. Walking in the ways of the Lord is keeping his commandments, or should I say, it means keeping his words.
Jesus Christ, in today's gospel, tells us what the greatest commandment of God is: Loving the Lord our God with one's whole heart, one's whole soul and whole mind. He adds thus: "And a second is like it, you shall love your neighbour as yourself". If the Spirit of God dwell in us, his love will permeate every aspect of our lives; we will hate sin and love holiness.
Today we are reminded that God is able to rekindle hope in a hopeless situation; he is able to bring back to life what is considered dead in our lives. All we have to do is to walk in his ways: loving him with our whole heart, our whole soul, and our whole mind. We are also to love our neighbours as ourselves.

Lord our God, renew within us your Spirit that we may walk in your ways. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke