What the Lord God requires of us

 

Walking in the ways of the Lord is to become like Him.

Reflection on Today’s Readings, Monday of 19th Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, and the Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, August 14th, 2023                          Texts: Deuteronomy 10:12-22; Psalm 148:12-15,19-20; Matthew 17:22-27

Today’s message about is what the Lord God requires of us. What He requires of us is to know Him, love Him, serve Him, worship Him and be like Him. In the words of Moses: “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”.  

Walking in the ways of the Lord is to become like Him; it is imitating Him. The Lord is holy and just, so I am holy and just; He is compassionate and loving, so I am compassionate and loving. We are not to be partial or take bribe. We are to love the defenceless - the fatherless, widows and sojourners. In Jesus today we also see what the Lord God requires of us: we are not to give offence. Jesus paid tax so as not to give offence. We are also to keep His commandments and statutes. Keeping commandments and statutes is doing His will, what He tells us.  

How to do what the Lord requires of us

We also learn today how to do what the Lord requires of us. Moses says, “to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul”. God needs our all, all the heart and all the soul in service of Him. He does not need the fractions of the heart or the soul. He needs only Himself in our hearts and Him alone should be the object of the love of our souls. Whatever occupies our hearts should be there for His sake. Whatever our souls love should be for His sake. That is how to serve the Lord with all the heart and all the soul. 

We are not just to devote our lives to God arbitrarily. He deserves it because He is our Creator and loves us specially and without reservation. We are also living in His world. In the words of Moses: “Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it; yet the Lord set his heart in love upon your fathers and chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as at this day.” He is also “the God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.” 

We are to honour Him for His love and benefits

Today’s Psalm also speaks of why we should honour God. We are to honour Him for His love and benefits. It says, “O Jerusalem, glorify the Lord! O Sion, praise your God! He has strengthened the bars of your gates; he has blessed your children within you. He established peace on your borders; he gives you fill of finest wheat. He sends out his word to the earth, and swiftly runs his command. He reveals his word to Jacob; to Israel, his decrees and judgements. He has not dealt thus with other nations; he has not taught them his judgements.” 

Today is the memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe. He was a Franciscan. He used modern communication of his time to fight for the salvation of souls. During German invasion he was found keeping Jews in his religious community. He was arrested and taken to concentration camp. There he provided succour for his fellow prisoners. When one of them escaped, ten of them were taken to be starved to death. Maximilian Kolbe opted to replace one of them who had family. That was how he died a martyr for love of his neighbour. He teaches us to love our neighbours.  

Prayer 

O God, who filled the Priest and Martyr Saint Maximilian Kolbe with a burning love for the Immaculate Virgin Mary and with zeal for souls and love of neighbour, graciously grant, through his intercession, that, striving for your glory by eagerly serving others, we may be conformed, even until death, to your Son. Amen (Collect) 

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke