“Never let the odds keep you from doing what you know in your heart you were meant to do.” ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Question #6 of the old Baltimore Catechism really appeared to say it all:
Q. Why did God make you?
A. God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him for ever in heaven.
That answer may sound a bit trite and overly-simplified; yet, there it is. We were meant to know God, to love God, and to serve God in this world so that we would have the gift of being happy with God forever in heaven. We know that in our heart of hearts. Our souls are inclined toward God. Our soul directs us toward God. It is only our humanity that causes us to veer away from God.
We are cautioned over and over again not to allow the world and its many temptations get in the way of our relationship with God. When we succumb to the temptations of the world, it is much harder to keep our eyes fixed on God and follow in the footsteps of His Son. Jesus was the one who told us that the road that leads to the Kingdom is narrow. He also told us that many fall from its way. If we want to live with the Lord for all eternity, we have to keep ourselves on that path.
We are reminded today never to allow something to keep us from doing what we know in our hearts we were called to do. We are called to know, love, and serve our Lord. We are called to an incredible inheritance at the end of our days. Why would we allow anything to jeopardize that?
FAITH ACTION: Ask God to give you the courage to remain faithful to Him so that you may inspire others to do what is good. If you have faltered, confessions are heard in most Catholic churches on Saturday afternoons.