The Closeness of the Lord

For this command that I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious and remote for you. It is not up in the sky, that you should say, 'Who will go up in the sky to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?' Nor is it across the sea, that you should say, 'Who will cross the sea to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?' No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out. // Deuteronomy 30:11-14

“I want to go to Heaven with you!” my son threw his little body against mine, squeezing me with all his strength. We were going over his catechism questions about God’s reason for creating us. For my son, the life of faith is so simple. He is by no means a perfect child, but between normal expressions of his boyhood, he shows that he has the Lord’s call to him within his heart.

In my son’s simple faith, I see a fulfillment of Moses' words to the Israelites in the First Reading from Deuteronomy. Moses tells his people to love the Lord with all of their heart and soul by following the Lord’s commands. He tells them that they are not hard to find because the Lord has put the commands very near to them in their hearts and mouths. Following them should be easy, if they would only pay attention to the Lord’s personal nearness as well. Yet, like all of us, the Israelites often overlooked the Lord’s nearness and fell into sin.

Sister, the command of the Lord is also very near to us. It is already in our mouths and our hearts. He has written it on our hearts (see Jeremiah 31:33). We do not need to search far and wide for the grace to follow His commands or to even know them. If only we respond to His prompting in our hearts, know Him to be close to us, love His commands, and serve Him by loving others, we will live forever in Heaven with Him (and hopefully my son who will give you a great hug).

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About Susanna Spencer

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Susanna Spencer holds a master's in Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and is the Devotions Editor for Blessed is She. She is a freelance writer and editor and a teacher. She lives with her philosopher husband, three teen daughters, one pre-teen son, and a miracle baby girl in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She loves reading theology and novels, attending beautiful liturgies, cooking delicious food, and casually following baseball. She is the author of the Gospel Studies including Seek His Kingdom: A Meditation on Matthew , Listen to Him: A Meditation on Mark, Preach in His Name: A Meditation on Luke, and Abide in His Love: A Meditation on John. She was the contributing author and editor for our children’s devotional prayer book, Rise Up. She was the Theological Editor of the Blessed Conversations Studies. Find out more about her here.