March 29, 2019 Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent-C
Hosea 14:2-10
Psalm 81
Mark 12:28-34
Return, O Israel, to the Lord, your God. Hos. 14:2
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart… soul…mind… and strength. Mk. 12:29
Lord, how good it would be to hear you say to me: “you are not far from the Kingdom of God.” It would mean that I am on the right track. I would have the confidence to know that how I am living is pleasing to you and that I am accomplishing the will of the Father. But it would also mean that I’m not there yet. While I won’t be fully there until I come before you after my death, I can do better here and now. I confess to being distracted by the affairs of the world. I can worship the false gods of pleasure, comfort, wealth, technology, sports or any of a hundred passing things. When I forget to keep you as the center and the focus of my life, then I’m off track. When I overlook or ignore the needs of my neighbor I am not loving him or her as you do. Lord, help me to realize that while I am “in” the I am not “of” the world. There are so many false gods around me that plead for my worship. This time of Lent can bring me closer to you and your kingdom if I accept and cooperate with your grace. Amen.