Day 2, Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Today’s reading is taken from the book of Deuteronomy. According to the Catholic Study Bible, Moses is speaking to his people on the eve of his death. These are some of his final words.
Moses tells the Israelite community they have a choice to make, and that choice will make a difference, even in the length of their life. He says, “if you obey the commandments I enjoin on you today, loving him, and walking in his ways…you will live and grow numerous. If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen, but are led astray and adore and serve other gods, I tell you now, you will certainly perish.”
What a perfect passage for me to contemplate this Lent! I have definitely been led astray by the concerns of the world. Those concerns have taken the place God deserves in my life, and I am paying for it. I have grown weary and unsettled.
I guess this, then is the very point of our Lenten walk. If I have been wandering around (and I have!), it is time to begin today to love him, to walk in his ways, to remember our goal, eternal life with him.
Today I will dedicate part of my prayer time to listening. If I am quiet with the Lord, I may hear him speak. He will direct me in the way I am to follow.
It all begins by giving him his rightful place in my life. First, I need to love the lord my God, with my whole, undivided heart. Only then will I be able to manage the rest.
The Last Lap (and what comes next) 