“Baals” refer to the gods of the Canaanites. “Baal” was the main Canaanite male deity, while Ashtoreth was the main Canaanite female deity. Baal worship was not exclusive. Those who worshiped Baal did not believe he was the only god—he was just one of many gods. Therefore, the Israelites worshiped both God and Baal. The problem was that, in worshiping other gods, the Israelites were not putting God first. The Israelites at the time of the Judges did what God wanted, but were not obedient.

They proved this by their relapse into wicked conduct after each of the judges died. Similarly, the man in today’s Gospel proclamation told Jesus that he had kept the commandments. However, he did not have a heart of obedience. This ex- plains why he refused to obey Jesus’ command to go, sell his possessions, and give to the poor. Let us examine our hearts, to check if there are ‘Baals’ like our fleshly attachments seeking fame and name. Let us not live in deception and miss out on everlasting life like the rich young man.

Prayer: Abba Father, may I have an undivided heart where my source of joy and happiness will only be you. Amen.