The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart…
How often do we give voice to our faith?
Throughout their history, the people of Israel had trouble remaining in right relationship with the Lord God, and Moses knows it. The golden calf they chose to worship, the complaints they made about their lack of food and water… On so many occasions, the people have demonstrated their lack of fidelity to the Lord who loves them, failing to give witness to their faith. But in the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the people that, once they reach the promised land, they will need to show their gratitude to God. Moses even provides the words they are to say, the story they are to tell: Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God: The Lord brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm; he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey. The people are also to acknowledge God’s goodness with the firstfruits of the products of the soil, bowing down in his presence. God has been with them all along; they need to return to right relationship and give thanks.
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus knows it is incumbent upon him to right the wrongs of Adam and Eve and their descendants. When Jesus is tempted by the devil in the desert, each temptation the devil offers represents a historical breakdown in relationship, whether it center upon control or idol worship or testing God, and each time, Jesus chooses love and relationship, citing Scripture to correct the devil’s misuse of the holy text. When the devil cites Psalm 92, for example – With their hands, the angels will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone – Jesus counters with his own knowledge of Scripture: You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test. Jesus trusts wholeheartedly in his relationship with his Father; where the people of Israel failed, Jesus makes choices congruent with his Father’s will, and speaks his mind boldly, even when confronted with the devil himself.
St. Paul will similarly encourage the Romans to prioritize relationship with the Lord over all else and to give voice to their faith when challenged: if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Faith is in the heart and comes from the heart, but it needs to be verbalized, spoken, affirmed. What is the story we tell? May it be one that affirms the intimacy of our relationship with the Lord, a story that comes from the heart, with thanks.
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
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