February 24--The Law of the Lord

Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!

The Catholic Church has a bad rep for having too many rules (of which some are considered “outdated”), which seem harsh and oppressive by today’s standard.

In the first reading, Moses tells the Israelites that, if the Lord is to be their God and they His people, they must follow His ordinances, and that if the people follow the Lord, God will watch over and take care of them. At first glance, this seems to be a rather conditional on God’s part, as He will “raise you [the Israelites] high in praise and renown and glory above all other nations [God] has made” only if the people do what He says.

It can be easy to adopt this view of God, especially if we consider our lives to be unfair. But the psalm starts to hint at something than just an exchange, the fulfillment of an agreement.

We need the “rules,” especially in the face of the hedonistic promiscuity which characterizes the world today, because it is God’s Law that allows us to draw close to Him, and enable us to stay faithful to the Gospel.

On our own, we are bound to mess up, to stray from the right path and lose sight of who the Lord is and what greatness He desires for our lives. But God’s law, manifested in His Word and in His Bride, the Church, gives us a means to live in a manner pleasing to the Lord.

And if we lead a blessed life, we can draw close to the Lord, we can start have a heart that is open to his Love and grace, a heart that can truly experience joy and, in that joy, live of freedom and love.
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Today's devotional was written by Ivan Cueto. Ivan is a fourth year studying physics. When he's not leading the 9pm Chapel Mass choir, you can find him jamming in the music room, building forts in the common room, and hanging out with friends.