Coming up in this Sunday’s first reading…A few reflective thoughts…
I am the LORD and there is no other,there is no God besides me.
It is I who arm you, though you know me not,
so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun
people may know that there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, there is no other
Most active Catholics can tell you that the first of the ten commandment: I am the Lord, your God. You shall have no other gods besides me. But the breakdown of that commandment can be much more rich and life-giving with a bit of reflection.
With our human minds, we could reason that God commands us to worship Him alone because, in worshipping other things or false gods, we commit idolatry and fail to give praise to the true Creator of all living things. But, remember a critical point: God doesn’t need us or our praise to exist. It’s the other way around: we need Him. Why would God give such a commandment?
Perhaps this “commandment” is less about God wanting to be the center of our lives for the sake of being in the center and more about God wanting to save us time and energy on what is not everlasting. What you chase in this life reveals what you hold most dear. Even with good intentions – for example, seeking a higher paying job to provide for your family – our goals can quickly transform into practices all too similar to worshipping the golden calf.
It is all to convenient to relinquish our moments, days, and lives to what we FEEL is most important instead of what we know is the most important. What is on your mind that moves God from center to margin? God doesn’t want you to ignore what is in your heart, or what’s troubling your mind. God wants us to bring it forward – embracing whatever it is – and give it to Him. Take the next step in your faith and when something strikes a match against your heart, instead of feeding the flame with attention, worry, and anxiety, extinguish it with acceptance and faith that God has put the tools in your life to manage or resolve the distraction. And then, knowing you have done all that you possibly can, be at peace.