The Truth Of Faith

 Reflection on Today's Readings, Monday of 19th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1, August 9th, 2021
Texts:Deut. 10:12-22; Ps. 147: 12-15.19-20; Mtt. 17:22-27
Today we begin from the proposition that faith is a commitment to the truth. In today's first reading, Moses speaks of the truth to which we must commit to justify our faith in God. We are to commit ourselves to God's vision of life. God's vision of life manifests in His commandments, and statues and commands. Keeping His commandments and statues and obeying His commands, we step into God’s vision of life. In God's vision of life lies our destiny. Moses says,  “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I command you this day for your good?" Our God requires us to walk in His ways, love Him and serve Him. His ways are justice and truth: having concern for the fatherless, the widows, the strangers. To walk in His ways is to be just and true: having concerns for the fatherless, widows, strangers, people who are in need of help. We are to love and serve Him: to love Him is to keep His commandments, and to serve Him is to obey His commands and follow His instructions.
Moses reminds us that our commitment to the truth revealed by God is for our sake. Our commitment to the truth makes us truly human and humane. The problem among the Christians today is the result of failure to commit to the truth of God. We are facing alot of challenges because of  our rejection of God’s truth in our society. We backbite, slander, terrorize, rob etc. We are to commit ourselves to the truth revealed by God to save ourselves and our society.
Moses also reminds us, today, that God has shown us His love by making us His  own out of all the peoples on earth. He owns heaven and earth but out of His good pleasure He has singled us out and for love of us He has wrought wonders.  For our sake He sent His only Son to suffer, die and rise on the third. The greatest wonder on earth is the suffering, death and resurrection of God for our sake. We should know that everyday we are alive, we experience again the wonder of God. Moses tells us, today, to remember the deeds of God for us and so stop being stubborn. This reminds us that coldness or lack of faith is the result of the loss of touch with wonders of God; it is the failure to recognise the deeds of God.
Moses goes further to remind us of God's justice: He does not give in to partiality nor accept bribe; we cannot play prank with God. That we are His people we have to do good to win His favour and blessings. In the gospel reading, Jesus shows sense of justice by paying tax. We have to be just to our society by fulfilling our duties to our society. We have to be just to God too by acknowledging His deeds and wonders.

Lord our God, thank You for Your wonderful deeds; may we acknowledge them and be just to You; may we also fulfil our duties to the society we belong and be just to it. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke