Fourth Thursday of Ordinary Time

When the time of David's death drew near, he gave these instructions to his son Solomon: "I am going the way of all flesh. Take courage and be a man. Keep the mandate of the LORD, your God, following his ways and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees as they are written in the law of Moses, that you may succeed in whatever you do, wherever you turn, and the LORD may fulfill the promise he made on my behalf when he said, 'If your sons so conduct themselves that they remain faithful to me with their whole heart and with their whole soul, you shall always have someone of your line on the throne of Israel.'"

The words David speaks to Solomon are also the ones God speaks to us every day. He instructs us through the teachings of the Church and the inspirations of the Holy Spirit to keep His commandments and the spirit of the laws. If we do this, we will succeed in the important things of life and we will become worthy heirs to His Heavenly Kingdom. If we fail, we will be faced with many hardships and difficulties, but we will also have a chance to right our wrongs and return to God’s Graces through the sacrament of reconciliation. Hopefully we listen to God and follow Him faithfully so that one day we might join Him in Paradise and eat with Him at the Heavenly Banquet.

Are we courageous enough to be men and women in Christ? In what ways are we keeping the commandments? How can we remain faithful to the Lord with all our hearts and souls?

O Lord, grant us the courage to stand firm in our faith and follow your every commandment.

Amen.