This command that I enjoin on you is not too mysterious and remote for you…It is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts. You have only to carry it out. (Deuteronomy 30)

Moses reminds the people that the way of God is not something so complex or advanced that you have to have a Master’s degree in college to figure it out. No, the way of God is rooted in our very being. Why? Because we are made in the image and likeness of God. He has put his law into your hearts: love, peace, hope, fidelity, kindness, compassion, respect. “We have only to carry it out.”

Yet, because of sin – people not following what they know in their hearts is right – the world does become more complicated and difficult to navigate. The navigational guide we need is not a GPS from Google, but the guidance that comes from our faith. Jesus Christ came as the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1) to show us again how to relate to God and one another. He also gave us the power to do so. Through baptism, the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Confession, and the other helps that come from our faith, including daily prayer and relying on the Holy Spirit who lives within us, we have the power and direction to stay close to the God who is already very near to us.