Saturday March 16
Readings: DT 26:16-19; MT 5:43-48
Deuteronomy cautions the hearer today to observe the decrees of God with all your heart and your soul and to remember the agreement that you made with God.
Some of us might be thinking, “Wait, what agreement?”
While Deuteronomy is speaking to the collective group, I did find it interesting to think about what “agreements” we have made with God. Did we promise to be a follower? Did we agree to try to live by God’s principles? What, specifically are we trying to follow or pattern our life on?
These might be interesting questions to take up in and of themselves…and then there’s the gospel where Jesus continues his “you have heard it said….but I say” statements. This one is about loving enemies and praying for those who persecute us. Anyone can love those who are good to them, he says, but loving enemies, that sets you apart. That takes inner work. That costs us something.
And this, for me, is where the 2 readings powerfully intersect. If we “agreed” to follow Jesus and continue to do so, what did we think we were following him into? What is the cost to us? What ways of being are we invited into and what do these require of us? And can we bring our heart and soul to this journey?
Discipleship was never intended to be an easy task. I often think about the iconic line from Mission: Impossible, “This mission, should you choose to accept it…” I think the gospel invite is similar – this mission, should we choose to accept it – requires us to honor an agreement to love enemies, pray for those who would wish to hurt us and love even when it is very difficult.
The Lenten journey hopefully gives us a time to refocus and develop the disciplines to live out our end of the bargain.
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