hear, O Israel

The book of Deuteronomy 6:4 (NABRE) features a prayer that the Jewish tradition calls the Shema. It begins: “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!” This prayer takes its name from the Hebrew word that opens the prayer, שְׁמַע (shema), a word that means “hear, listen, or obey.”

In the Shema, we see an emphasis on God’s role in our lives as well as a focus on what that means for each of us: “Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength” (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops [USCCB]). Accepting that the LORD is our God comes with responsibility for how we respond to that reality. It’s easy in our world to lose focus of this important truth, which additionally is why the prayer begins with a call to listen or to pay attention.

Do you view the LORD as the only God in your life? How would someone know this by looking at the way in which you live?

you also may like our two-part study of the prophets
Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided examines the prophets in their historical context using the First and Second Books of the Kings and other Old Testament passages written before the Babylonian Exile in 586 B.C. Volume II: Restoration & Redemption looks at the post-exilic prophets. This 51-lesson Catholic Bible study builds on The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King. Click on the books’ covers to view a sample lesson from each volume.

Click on the picture of the statue of Moses with horns (above) to learn more about Lost in Translation. A new entry is archived each Monday. Contact us to receive Lost in Translation by email every week. You may use any of the contact links on our website to ask Matthew a question.