"To Be For God or Against God"

Today's Mass Readings

Jesus’ tone in the gospel is rather serious. He gives his followers only two options: to be for God or against Him, to gather people for Him or to scatter His people. There is not middle path when it comes to our choices of God. Every day we face numerous choices, but seldom do we think that every choice we make reflects that we are either for or against God. Yet some among our tradition, like Thomas Aquinas, have argued precisely this. Perhaps Thomas was thinking of today’s gospel when he said that every thing we do is either for or against God. While it may seem impossible to involve God in every thing we do all day long, this is precisely what God desires – a consciousness of Him that never leaves us, even in the mundane things such as grocery shopping or changing diapers or mowing the lawn. A greater awareness of our actions as for God, gathering his people can help us grow in attention to the witness of God’s love that we provide for other people.

The first reading, from Jeremiah, emphasizes that we must listen to God’s voice and walk in the ways that he commands, rather than turning our backs and hardening our hearts. Let us, during this time of Lent, strive to bring God into every part of our lives, asking him to guide our decisions in such a way that we demonstrate just how much we are for God. Let us hope that our lives will be a reason for others to believe in the love that comes from our God.