Walking Before God Wholeheartedly

 Reflection on Today's Readings, Tuesday of 5th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II, February 8th, 2022
Texts: 1 Kings 8:22-23.27-30; Psalm84:3-5,1 0, 11; Mark 7:1-13
Today, Solomon, in his prayer, reveals what makes God unique among gods. He says, "O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing mercy to your servants who walk before you with all their heart." Whatever God has said  He keeps to those who walk before Him wholeheartedly and shows them mercy. One thing is clear here: The faithfulness of God and His mercy are not for those who circumvent His law. God keeps the words He has spoken about us when we keep His commandments and stop circumventing them.
The showing of mercy to those who walk in His sight wholeheartedly reveals something about us: We have a wounded condition which perpetually makes us in need of God's compassion. Walking before God wholeheartedly is different from keeping God's commandments satisfactorily. This brings to mind the words of the psalm: "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes; ....Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from the insolent; do not let them have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression" (19:7-8,11-13).
We are all in need of God's mercy, both the righteous and sinners. What grants us His mercy is walking wholeheartedly before Him. Walking wholeheartedly before God is journeying with Him in love. The love of Him makes us stay away from what is displeasing to Him and remorseful and repent when we fall short of His expectation. Our love for Him always makes us aware of our unworthiness before Him and that what we receive from Him is unmerited. Hence, we live our lives in thanksgiving to Him by walking before Him wholeheartedly, not to make Him indebted to us. A life lived in thanksgiving to God is the life pleasing to Him.
Today's gospel reading reminds us of how we do circumvent the commandments of God. In Jesus' words: “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God, in order to keep your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honour your father and your mother'; and ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die’; but you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, what you would have gained from me is Corban’ (that is, given to God) — then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God through your tradition which you hand on. And many such things you do.”Jesus tells us how the people of His time were circumventing the commandments of God. Do we not do the same? Whenever we want to satisfy our own desire we know how to circumvent the commandments. Whenever we want to turn to other gods, we quote "give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's". Whenever we give excuse to do evil, we circumvent the commandments. It is better I pocket the money because if I give it to the boss, he will not remit it. Government itself is corrupt, so let me shop my own. If you can't beat them, you join them. They are some of the excuses we give to help us circumvent the commandments of God. Jesus asks us to desist from such act.

Lord our God, You love us and You will that we walk before You wholeheartedly, bestow Your grace to help us do so, show us Your mercy and faithfulness. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke