Hear the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. – Deuteronomy 4:1

       My four-year-old daughter can be stubborn and disobedient at times. Consequently, what could have been accomplished in a few minutes — like finishing her food — can go beyond an hour.

       In the Bible, we know the story of the Israelites who wandered in the desert for 40 years before they entered the Promised Land. This is what’s astonishing: it takes only two weeks to travel from Canaan to the Promised Land.

       So why did it take them 40 years? Because of their hardheadedness, God sentenced that entire generation to die before Israel could set foot in their destination.

       God allowed them to experience famine in the desert and many trials so they would learn that it wasn’t food but God’s Word that would keep them alive. Read the Bible and you’ll discover the importance that God puts in obeying Him.

       God has a beautiful and powerful promise to those who listen and obey His Word: an abundance of blessings await them!

Reflection: “All revelations are sealed until they are opened to us by obedience. You will never get them open by philosophy or thinking. Immediately you obey, a flash of light comes.” (Oswald Chambers)

Lord, make me an obedient child of Yours.

Blessed Didacus of Cadiz, pray for us.

Memory is a very important faculty for human beings, both in our day-to-day lives as well as in religion. Moses reminds the people that they must remember all the mighty deeds the Lord has done for them. Why? The answer is very simple. If we remember all that God has done for us and keep it close to our consciousness, we will always be aware that our faith demands a response to the goodness of God.

1 Moses spoke to the people and said: “Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 5 Therefore, I teach you the statutes and decrees as the Lord, my God, has commanded me, that you may observe them in the land you are entering to occupy. 6 Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, ‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’ 7 For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? 8 Or what great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today? 9 “However, take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children’s children.

R: Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

12 Glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion. 13 For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; he has blessed your children within you. (R) 15 He sends forth his command to the earth; swiftly runs his word! 16 He spreads snow like wool; frost he strews like ashes. (R) 19 He has proclaimed his word to Jacob, his statutes and his ordinances to Israel. 20 He has not done thus for any other nation; his ordinances he has not made known to them. (R)

Jesus is not an anarchist nor is He bent on destroying anything except sin. He challenges the current Jewish interpretation of the Law and provides an alternative understanding of it — one based much more on compassion and love — but He does not abolish it. Jesus wants the people to understand the priority of God’s love and mercy and do away with an understanding of the law that places it above the person. The Law is there to serve us, not rule us.

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life.

17 Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

think: If we remember all that God has done for us and keep it close to our consciousness, we will always be aware that our faith demands a response to the goodness of God.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Genesis 40-42

I was on a long trip one time and I turned on the radio. I tuned in to a station where there was a live DJ talking, who at least kept me company as I was getting bored. The lady began reading out text messages sent to the station. Her words of thanks caught my attention. She said, “Thanks once again to all our ‘watcheners’ for keeping us company!”

       I don’t know if I spelled it right but that is the word I heard: watcheners. It was the first time I heard that word and then after some  thought I realized that radio programs now are no longer just auditory; they also can be viewed now through the Internet via live streaming. One does not only listen to DJs. One can also observe everything that is going on in the radio booth. Watchener. You do not only listen. You also watch. You observe. This is actually what God, through Moses, is telling the Israelites of that time. Only, Moses did not have the single vocabulary to say so. “Now Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you… Observe them carefully…”

       Notice how God paired listening and observing together. Observing in biblical language is not only watching with the eyes. Observing is actually the engagement of the whole person, i.e., acting on God’s Word: “Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who will hear of all these statutes…”

       Listening and observing are inseparable in Christian spirituality. Our worship is built around these. At the beginning of the Holy Mass, we listen to God’s Word. In the homily, the presiding priest “breaks” the Word, that its wisdom may be unleashed and its power inspire us to Christian action. In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we are counseled, “Do this in memory of Me.” And having been nourished by the Body of the Lord, we are sent to “Christify” the world with our Christian witness, “The Mass is ended. Go and proclaim the Good News.” Thus we become true watcheners of the Word. Fr. Joel Jason

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Do you consider the priest’s homily only as Sunday entertainment? Do you take concrete actions to the challenges of God’s Word?

Help me to listen to Your Word, Lord, and act upon Your teachings.