WEDNESDAY 3RD WEEK
Jess DuBois C ‘13

Roadmap to Heaven

“But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 5: 19

Have you ever tried playing basketball with no rules? I’d assume the answer is no. But imagine how difficult it would be—no one would know how to score, how to defend, or how to play at all. It wouldn’t be basketball without rules and regulations. Likewise, it’d be pretty impossible to live without rules and statutes to follow. The readings for today all show that our Lord loves us by giving us commandments and standards. Many times, when people mention different problems they have with religion, they mention the rules and dogmas, and they often say that they find these laws constricting and impinging on their freedoms. But freedom to do what? Disobeying God’s laws can only lead to one thing—death. He is an all-loving God, and He created these statutes so that we could become more like Him and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. No earthly “freedoms” we have could ever trump that prize. God knows our hearts, and He knows that they have a tendency to stray towards those things that hurt us most. Because of this, He lovingly gave us these commandments, so that our hearts would be formed towards Him, and we can truly live a free life. This Lent, try to acquaint yourself more with the Lord’s commandments. Remember that while the world teaches that you can love God outside of the “restrictive” statutes of the Church, in reality, God created these decrees for your benefit. He’s given you a roadmap to Heaven; all you have to do is ask Him to help you to follow it.

Lord, we are Your children. We need Your guiding hand to protect us and to form us in Your ways. Help us to respect and obey the commands You have lovingly set before us, and help us to run the race of this life so as to win. Amen.

Dt4: 1, 5-9, Ps 147: 12-13, 15-16, 19-20, Mt 5: 17-19