Reflections

THIRD WEEK OF LENT – Wednesday, March 7, 2018

COMMANDMENTS: SIGN OF FREEDOM AND LOVE

Introduction

What is the meaning of the commandments to us? To some, they are the summary and summit of all morality; to others, narrow and outmoded rules; still to others, obstacles to the freedom of the gospel.
To Israel, they were the expression of fidelity to God and to the whole people as part of God’s covenant. They were the road to freedom from all forms of slavery: to other gods, to selfishness, to exploitation of one person by another. They were the sign of belonging to God and God’s nearness. And they were witnesses that love of God and love of neighbour cannot be separated.
In Christ, all this is fulfilled, and more. The commandments remain, but they become a basic step not to salvation by observances but to seeking communion with God in Christ and communion with our neighbour, and they are animated by love.

Reading: Dt 4:1, 5-9 
Moses spoke to the people and said:
“Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees
which I am teaching you to observe,
that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land
which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
Therefore, I teach you the statutes and decrees
as the LORD, my God, has commanded me,
that you may observe them in the land you are entering to occupy.
Observe them carefully,
for thus will you give evidence
of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations,
who will hear of all these statutes and say,
‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’
For what great nation is there
that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us
whenever we call upon him?
Or what great nation has statutes and decrees
that are as just as this whole law
which I am setting before you today?

“However, take care and be earnestly on your guard
not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen,
nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live,
but teach them to your children and to your children’s children.”

Responsorial Psalm 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20
R. (12a) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
He spreads snow like wool;
frost he strews like ashes.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

Verse before the Gospel: Jn 6:63C, 68C
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.

Gospel: Mt 5:17-19
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”


Commentary:

The “new” commandment does not invalidate the “old.” Neither does the “New” Testament cancel out the “Old” Testament. Instead, the new completes the old, giving the latter deeper meaning and relevance. Thus, Jesus did not come into the world to remove the Law and the Prophets, but to complete them and give them a deeper interpretation and insight. A little child does not understand how Santa works his way through the chimney, but she continues her bedtime practices in preparation for his visit. And then she grows up to realize the adult “truth” about Santa. But she may now engage in the Santa act all the more delightfully with her younger siblings, for now she knows the “soul” of the tradition and appreciates it in a deeper way.
Does knowing Christ and growing in relationship with him help us appreciate teachings in the Law and the Prophets at a deeper level?
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One of the features of the Gospel of Matthew is the abundance of references to the Old Testament. Today’s text clearly explains the reason for this approach: Jesus did not come to annul the first covenant, nor erase a single page of divine revelation to Israel; on the contrary, He takes all the law and the prophets and brings them to completion. The Word of God resounds throughout Scripture; so a Christian is called to deepen and love the Old Testament, discovering all its wealth in the light of Christ’s resurrection.

Blessing
Let the great commandment given us by Jesus guide our life and make it beautiful and rich: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

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