Saturday of the First Week of Lent

Deuteronomy 26:16-19     Matthew 5:43-48

When I was 19 years old, a good friend of mine committed suicide. He was an outgoing, light-hearted young man, quick with a joke and loved by many. He had suffered some depression while trying to find his path after high school. I loved him like a cousin and grieved his death alongside our whole community.

Part of that grieving process included wrestling with what it means to act in accordance with God’s will. If you act outside of God’s will, can you ever get back inline with it? Or does that fork in the road take you irretrievably away from God’s will? 

I never came to any definitive conclusions, and I continued to ponder these questions for many years (decades) more. In fact, I still think about these questions, and, though my thoughts on the matter have evolved, I’m not so confident to believe that I have answered these questions. But I believe God’s will for us isn’t to act in a certain manner, rather to be, or become, a certain person.

Today’s first reading highlights the rules of living outlined in the Old Testament, on acting in a certain manner. “You are to walk in his ways and observe his statutes, commandments and decrees.” Statutes, commandments, AND decrees. That’s a lot to keep in mind while making decisions. But then you see Jesus simultaneously affirm the message of the first reading, while simplifying it and presenting one of his core messages.

In today’s gospel Jesus shifts the focus from actions to intentions, but more than just intentions; the actual source of our intentions, our heart. He wants to address who we are, not just what we do. Anyone can follow statutes, commandments, and decrees. But have we cultivated a relationship with God to the point that we can act out of love? And not just love for those near and dear to us, but for everyone? Can we move from acting in accordance with God’s will to being in accordance with God’s will?

Q: What commandments imposed by God do I observe out of Love - not just obedience? 

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