Monday February 26, 2007

Monday of the First Week of Lent

February 26, 2007




“The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them…”
Leviticus 9:1

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God wants to deliver his teaching through us. In our scripture verse today we read how the Lord is speaking through Moses to teach the people how to live. Through Moses, God tells the children of Israel that should not steal, lie, rob, defraud, hold grudges, take revenge, etc. These are all prohibitions of what you should not do as a follower of God. Also, the Lord teaches through Moses what a follower of God should do, like become holy, not stand by idly when your neighbor’s life is at stake, forgiving your brother from your heart, loving your neighbor as yourself, etc… Thus, we see Moses teaching what we should and should not do as followers of God.



Many times in my own life and in viewing other Christians, I have seen us taking a minimalist approach to our following of Christ. The focus is on all the prohibitions and what we cannot do as Christians. This minimalist approach is sadly limiting and a lame definition of what it means to be a Christian. Of course we are called not to sin but it leaves out all we can do for the Kingdom of God that has been poured out into our hearts through baptism! When we focus on that, when we think about what we can do with the power of the Kingdom within, then that is when Christianity becomes the ultimate fascination.



This past Christmas I cut my finger with a knife and it needed stitches. I ended up in the emergency room on Christmas night. The intake person was asking me what I did and I told her I was a priest and that she was loved. Visibly moved, she told me thanks because it had been a rough Christmas day for her. You see, brothers and sisters, God always wants to deliver his teaching through you and me?



Do you believe that? Do you believe that God always wants to deliver his teaching through you? At every opportunity. If not through you then through who? Moses is not the only speaker. So, if we agree that God wants to speak through you to his people at every opportunity, then what teaching does he want to deliver through you? Pray about it, receive it and deliver it- you have to do all three! And remember, focus on all that we can do as Christians because the Kingdom of God has come and is within us. Teach people about the ultimate fascination of following Jesus.



Live the confronted life!

+Fr. John