“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.” (Dt 6:4-6)
Okay. On the count of three, a big, collective sigh.
1 – 2 – 3 – SIGH
Our mortal, human hopes get dashed to the stones when we hear the words of today’s scriptures, don’t they? We are challenged to put things into their proper perspective: The Lord alone is our God. Therefore we need to love Him with all our heart, soul, and strength.
The scriptures (both the first reading as well as the Gospel) do not say the Lord and our job, or the Lord and our fame, or the Lord and our fortune are important. The scriptures say the Lord alone.
This is one of the things that goes against our human nature.
It is hard not to put other things first in our lives.
We often think, after all, that there are greater priorities in our lives while here on this earth: fame, fortune, power, possessions, relationships and the like.
In striving to grasp those priorities, we often let go of our grasp on the Lord. God becomes less and less important in our lives until we get to the point where we lose sight of Him completely.
Do not let that happen.
Embrace the Lord for He alone is our God.
None of the other things or people in our lives can bring about redemption and eternal life. All the gold, all the fame, all the power in the world cannot ensure eternal life with God.
God alone is the one who matters.
FAITH ACTION: Are there things or people in your life more important than God? Re-prioritize!