Sunday, February 18, 2024

24 February 2024 - homily for Saturday of the first week of Lent - Deuteronomy 26:16-19

Today, Moses reminds the people that they have a solemn agreement with God, that they are to walk in God’s; keep his statutes, commandments, and ordinances; and obey him.  This is a binding agreement between the people and God.  However, we know that if the people fail and stray from the faith, they will not be abandoned by God. God is always faithful to us.  Emphasizing this, the Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation states: “Though time and again we have broken your covenant, You have bound the human family to yourself
 through Jesus Christ our redeemer with a bond so tight that it can never be undone." 

The law and commandments of the Old Testament emphasized the external observance of rules and regulations. In many ways, the Gospel message emphasizes the interior attitude and the mutual relationships between God, our brothers and sisters, and ourselves. Today’s Gospel passage on loving even one’s enemies shows how far God’s commands are to be observed.  May this message about God’s laws and commandments reach the depths of our minds and our hearts as we continue our Lenten journey.  

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