"Abandoning the LORD, the God of their fathers, who led them out of the land of Egypt, they followed the other gods of the various nations around them, and by their worship of these gods provoked the LORD."
Judges 2:12
I often wondered how could the Israelites have strayed from the Lord once they inherited the promised land. Surely those who witnessed the Lord parting the Red Sea, delivering them from slavery, making an eternal covenant with them, would have taught their descendants to follow the Lord. It seems so obvious to me - follow the law of the Lord and you will be blessed! Why would you want to stray from the God who saves and worship false gods?
Then, I take a good look at the world in which we live today - our own modern version of the promised land. It's full of various things that take our attention off of the Lord. Our modern promised land comes with distractions, noise, social media, and many things that we devote countless hours to following. We learn about the faith, attend Mass, reflect on Scripture, but we still can easily stray in our day-to-day lives.
I no longer wonder about how the Israelites could have strayed from God when they inherited the promised land so long ago. Fortunately, as God continuously revealed himself to them in their promised land, He reveals himself to us in ours every day.
How will I take time today to put aside noise and distractions to reflect on how God is revealing himself to me today so that I may continue to follow Him?
Merciful Lord, help me to keep my gaze upon you so that I may never lose sight of your ways and always reflect your love to others.
Today's Reflection is by:
Christian Galvan
Did you know...
Christian Galvan is a seminarian for the Diocese of St. Petersburg. His home parish is St. Stephen in Riverview. He worked in engineering design and construction management for five years before discerning the call to the priesthood. He enjoys singing, cooking, Rays Baseball, and Notre Dame Football.
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