1st Reading: Judges 2:11-19
Gospel: Mt 19:16-22
The greatest power that God has given us is the power of freedom.
With this freedom we have that ability to make a free choice.
God respects this freedom He has given us because of his unconditional love for us.
So we have that freedom to choose God and to do what is loving and good.
Or we can actually choose to do the bad and evil thing.
In the 1st reading, we hear of God punishing the Israelites because they disobeyed Him and worshipped idols.
But that is how the Old Testament would put it-that God punishes because we sin.
But as Christians, we see that since we are free, then we are responsible for our choices, as well as the consequences of our choices.
We believe that God is love. There is no need for Him to punish us because of our sins.
Sin in itself brings about its own punishment. We are punished not FOR our sins but BY our sins.
The Israelites in the 1st reading made their choice. The rich young man in the gospel made his choice.
Today and everyday, we have to make a choice. May we choose God and do what is right, good and loving.