Lenten reflection,   3/4/14

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SCRIPTURE:  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”

Deuteronomy 6:5 (RSV)

 Three of the four gospel writers quoted this prayer (Matthew 22:27, Mark 12:30:37,Luke 10:27) with Mark and Luke adding “and with all your mind.”  (translations may vary)

REFLECTION:  

What is your favorite Bible verse?  No doubt you have several well loved verses that have helped you to clarify your faith, consoled you in times of darkness and moved you forward on your spiritual journey.  

If I had to choose one verse that sums up the whole purpose of our lives and that has directed God’s people for thousands of years, I would choose the above prayer.  Our Jewish brothers and sisters honored this prayer, as part of the “Shema,” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9and 11:13-21) more than any other.   They would repeat it throughout the day and they said this prayer when death seemed eminent. They would write in on the finest parchment, put it in a decorative container and post it on the doors of their homes.

In pondering this verse, I see its beautiful compatibility with what I learned as a child from the Baltimore Catechism:  The purpose of life is to know God, to love God, to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in the next.

Lord forgive all of us who have gone vainly searching for other “purposes of life” instead of holding these words always close to our heart!

Suggestion:  Write the words of Deuteronomy 6:5 and hang them where you can see them, or put them in your mailbox, and say them every time you get your mail!

................................................................Yours in Christ, Judy