Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, July 13, 2025

Many of us make excuses. Even when we say, “Well, I don’t want to make excuses,” we usually follow those words with, “BUT” and then lay out our excuses. One of the most common excuses is, “I didn’t know.” But in our legal system, “ignorance of the law is no defense.” Our system assumes that everyone is aware of the laws that apply to them.

The same is true for Moses and the Israelites. Moses reminds the people that they do, in fact, know the law. God laid it out for them and even wrote it on two large tablets. The law is not far away, it’s in their hearts. They cannot claim to be ignorant of the law. In fact, knowing the law is not the hard part. It’s right there in front of them. The challenge is keeping the law. He tells them, “you have only to carry it out.” However, both the ancient Israelites and many modern Christians assume that keeping God’s law is impossible.

Having spent more than 20 years in Oregon, I became quite familiar with Nike and have long been inspired by their slogan, “Just Do It.” It was first used by Nike in 1988 and, according to my handy AI assistant, “the slogan has become a widely recognized call to action, often associated with motivation, determination, and perseverance.” The basic concept is that, if you know what needs to be done, don’t procrastinate, don’t over complicate, don’t make excuses. Just do it!

A priest in the 2nd Century explained to his people how critical it was for them to follow the law, “When…unbelievers hear the words of God on our lips, [they] are amazed at their beauty and power, but when they see those words have no effect in our lives, their admiration turns to scorn, and they dismiss such words as myths and fairy tales.”

Very few people come into the confessional confused about whether their actions or failures to act are sinful. They know the law and they know when they are committing a sin. Sometimes, they try to explain (“I don’t want to make excuses, but…”). Most often, however, people own their sins and are accountable. This is a huge step forward. The next step for all of us is to be better at carrying out the law.

Fr. Mike