A PEOPLE CONSECRATED TO GOD

Saturday, first Week of Lent
Reflection from Friar Nicholas Okeke, OP

Theme: A People Consecrated to God

The path of repentance from sin and disobedience is the path of reconsecration to God. God’s dealings with his people are always within the context of the covenant. This is because God is holy and consecrated to his word. God and his word are the same, so to have his word is to have God. It is sufficient to have God’s word in our hearts very often and reverence and worship it as God. As stated very often, whatever the word of God says is already accomplished by the fact that it is the will of God. The physical manifestation of it requires our faith because its physical manifestation is for us and not for God. Thus, our reconsecration to God is a journey of faith. It is already a reality willed by God and brought about by his word. But the more our faith grows in God, the better we will realise its physical manifestation in us. The declaration of God about Israel already established Israel as his people, but the declaration of the people of Israel about God will gradually match up with God’s holiness as their faith grows. “You have today made this declaration about the Lord: that he will be your God, but only if you follow his ways, keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and listen to his voice. And the Lord has today made this declaration about you: that you will be his very own people as he promised you.” Israel never realised the physical manifestation of her greatness in God because the people did not live in faith as they promised. 


The same declaration of the word of God has been made over us as Christians in our baptism into Jesus Christ. By our baptismal declaration, we are now the people of God purchased by the precious blood of his Son. God’s declaration over us was made by his only begotten Son who died for us. We have professed faith in this declaration in our baptism, responding with a similar declaration to belong and live only for Jesus Christ. This baptismal declaration requires that we live no longer for self but for God. We have promised to live the life of Jesus Christ to make him present to all and bring about the physical manifestation of the kingdom of God. The gospel tells us what this requires: “But I say this to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; in this way, you will be sons of your Father in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on bad men as well as good, and his rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike.” This is what faith in God requires from us; this is what our covenant with him demands from each of us. Therefore, our path to repentance entails dying to our sentiments and emptying ourselves of prejudices. We must fill ourselves with the love and sentiments of Jesus Christ to live his life. This is what his covenant with us demands. “You must therefore be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Let us pray: Turn our hearts to you, eternal Father, and grant that, seeking always the one thing necessary and carrying out works of charity, we may be dedicated to your worship.  


 

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