The people God had freed from slavery and brought to the land of promise were never to forget the manifest blessings they had received from the hands of the Lord. Because the Israelites experienced God’s compassion when they were slaves in Egypt and throughout their trek in the desert, they were to show compassion to those they met who were in desperate straits. Because they had once been oppressed as aliens, they were not to oppress aliens in their land. Because God had shown them kindness and mercy, they were to show kindness and mercy to others. The grace of God teaches us, that as the Lord is our portion, there is enough in him to satisfy all the desires of our souls.
C. S. Lewis wrote: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” Faith provides a context in which we can look at the world we live in. Because we have been loved by God, we have the capacity to love the people and things God loves. Mindful of God’s superabundant love for us, let us ponder these words taken from Psalm 18. "I love you, O Lord, my strength, O Lord, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer" (Ps.18:2). Because the promises of the Lord are strong enough to support us at all times and in all places, we have reason to claim Him as our cornerstone, our strong defense and our companion in all life’s challenges. We are in this world as a ship at sea, tossed up and down, and in danger of being cast away. We need an anchor to keep us sure and steady. The love of God, the grace of Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, are our sure anchor and the reason for our hope. Because our citizenship is in heaven, we must keep our gaze focused upon the things that are above, where Christ is seated in glory at the right hand of the Father.
We, who turn our gaze towards God, exist because God keeps His gaze fixed on us. We love Him because He first loved us and His love compels us to love others in the same way we have been loved. We cling to God with childlike abandon, knowing that we are His beloved children. There is nothing more affirming and life-giving than this reciprocal relationship of love. Because God has loved us, we can rest assured that He will always be there for us as our rock, our refuge and our fortress whenever we are in distress. We have reason to hold firm because we have received from God’s loving abundance grace upon grace (Cf. Jn. 1:16). All fullness is in Him and from Him we hope to receive all that makes us wise, happy and holy. The faith that accepts mercy blossoms into the joy that is unspeakable and full of heavenly light. Saint Peter wrote of this in his first epistle. "Although you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an indescribable joy that has been touched with glory, because you are receiving the fullness of your faith, the salvation of your souls " (1 Pet. 1: 9).
We have been grafted into Christ through baptism and are called to live in the obedience of faith. Like Him Who fulfilled the will of the Father we are to lay down our lives for the life of the world. We imitate Christ, not only in proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom but also in enduring persecution for the sake of the Gospel so that the power of God might be manifested in our weakness. In times of adversity we are anointed with the oil of gladness with which Christ was anointed priest, prophet and king.
When the teacher of the Torah asked Jesus to pick greatest commandment from among the 613 laws of the biblical Torah, Jesus quoted the central commandment of the Jewish faith: “Hear O Israel. You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Deut. 6:5). The love of God is the first and foremost of the commandments. The substance of the law, therefore, is love. Our love for God cannot be mere words. It must be an all-consuming fire that transforms us into a sacrifice of praise that is acceptable before God the Father. As scripture says: if you want to love God Whom you cannot see, love the human being whom you see standing in front of you. We manifest our love of God through our love of neighbor because, as scripture tells us, “God created man in His image; in the divine image He created him” (Gen. 1:27). Every human being is a dwelling place of God and we pay homage to God by reverencing the sanctuaries in which He dwells.
The Talmud recounts the martyrdom of Rabbi Akiva. As the executioners were torturing him, the renowned rabbi recited the Shema, concentrating on fulfilling its words: to love God "with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might." His students were surprised when they heard him recite this final Shema. When they questioned him, "Master, even to this extent?" He gave this reply: “All my life I have been troubled by this verse, ‘you shall love God... With all your soul.’ As I have explained its meaning: ‘all your soul’ -- even if they take your life. I have always wondered if I would have the privilege of fulfilling this mitzvah. Now that the opportunity has arrived, shall I not seize it?" He handed over his spirit as he pronounced the final word of Shema, "God is one." At the hands of the Romans, he accepted the reign of Heaven while sacrificing his life.
May we live our lives totally united to God and find our final resting place in Him when our life's journey is ended.
Father Jerome Machar, OSCO
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