Readings for Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9
This passage from Deuteronomy marks the end of the historical part of the book and the beginning of Moses’ presentation of the law and statutes. He addresses the whole people telling them that unless they follow the statutes which he is about to present, they do not receive what God promises the faithful, in this case the land of milk and honey. While the promise of Moses was the inheritance of the literal (the land), God’s later promise was of a kingdom not of this earth.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem
This section of Psalm 147, a psalm of praise, gives us the second of three strophes contained therein. In this section, the psalmist praises God’s rule over nature and the seasons (winter; “…He spreads snow like wool; frost he strews like ashes.”) It concludes with another aspect of the "word" of Yahweh: His "ordinances" are for Israel alone
Gospel Matthew 5:17-19
In this early encounter between Jesus’ mission and the Law of Moses we are told that Jesus came to “fulfill” the law, to bring it to perfection in the messiah. He supports the rabbinical teaching of the time which separates the 613 individual precepts of the law found in the Pentateuch into “great and small” based upon their seriousness when he refers to breaking the least of the commandments.
The passage is concluded in almost Mosaic style by saying that those who follow the law will be great in heaven. This draws a distinction from those who would break the law being least in heaven in the previous sentence.
Homily:
What strikes us most immediately in Wednesday's readings is the link between Moses giving the Law to the Hebrew People and his instructions to them to be faithful to it and Jesus who comes to fulfill it. It is pretty easy to see how Jesus came to fulfill what the Prophets had been saying for the 2,000 years of Hebrew history. There were enough clues in the Old Testament scriptures to lead us to understand that statement before he (Jesus) made it. What takes more thought, though, is how he came to fulfill the Law.
The reason that is a difficult question for us is that, to us, the Law is a set of rules that guide behavior. We must first understand the view of the Hebrews concerning the Law if we are to realize the immense import of the statement Jesus made when he said; "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill." The statement from the commentary really helps us here:
"The Law was thought to be the summary of all wisdom-human and divine, the revelation of God himself, a complete and a secure guide of conduct and endowed with a sacramental assurance of good relations with God." (Jerome Biblical Commentary on Mt 5:17)
When we look at his statement through this lens, we understand. What Jesus said in that short statement was; he came to reveal the living God. He came to provide the path to the Lord God; the Logos (Word) made flesh.
It takes divine revelation to a new level once we see that the Law Moses presented was more than just rules. The question that understanding stimulates in us is; if the law of Christ was more than rules for the early Christians, what should it be for us today?
If we accept Christ's word as being the "sacramental assurance of good relations with God", what place must the word assume in our lives? The “word” is not only a guide to our actions but our hearts; not only our thoughts but our prayers. Today we pray that God’s Law, fulfilled in Christ, will be expressed by our actions.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “Moses” by Guido Reni, 1600-10
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9
This passage from Deuteronomy marks the end of the historical part of the book and the beginning of Moses’ presentation of the law and statutes. He addresses the whole people telling them that unless they follow the statutes which he is about to present, they do not receive what God promises the faithful, in this case the land of milk and honey. While the promise of Moses was the inheritance of the literal (the land), God’s later promise was of a kingdom not of this earth.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem
This section of Psalm 147, a psalm of praise, gives us the second of three strophes contained therein. In this section, the psalmist praises God’s rule over nature and the seasons (winter; “…He spreads snow like wool; frost he strews like ashes.”) It concludes with another aspect of the "word" of Yahweh: His "ordinances" are for Israel alone
Gospel Matthew 5:17-19
In this early encounter between Jesus’ mission and the Law of Moses we are told that Jesus came to “fulfill” the law, to bring it to perfection in the messiah. He supports the rabbinical teaching of the time which separates the 613 individual precepts of the law found in the Pentateuch into “great and small” based upon their seriousness when he refers to breaking the least of the commandments.
The passage is concluded in almost Mosaic style by saying that those who follow the law will be great in heaven. This draws a distinction from those who would break the law being least in heaven in the previous sentence.
Homily:
What strikes us most immediately in Wednesday's readings is the link between Moses giving the Law to the Hebrew People and his instructions to them to be faithful to it and Jesus who comes to fulfill it. It is pretty easy to see how Jesus came to fulfill what the Prophets had been saying for the 2,000 years of Hebrew history. There were enough clues in the Old Testament scriptures to lead us to understand that statement before he (Jesus) made it. What takes more thought, though, is how he came to fulfill the Law.
The reason that is a difficult question for us is that, to us, the Law is a set of rules that guide behavior. We must first understand the view of the Hebrews concerning the Law if we are to realize the immense import of the statement Jesus made when he said; "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill." The statement from the commentary really helps us here:
"The Law was thought to be the summary of all wisdom-human and divine, the revelation of God himself, a complete and a secure guide of conduct and endowed with a sacramental assurance of good relations with God." (Jerome Biblical Commentary on Mt 5:17)
When we look at his statement through this lens, we understand. What Jesus said in that short statement was; he came to reveal the living God. He came to provide the path to the Lord God; the Logos (Word) made flesh.
It takes divine revelation to a new level once we see that the Law Moses presented was more than just rules. The question that understanding stimulates in us is; if the law of Christ was more than rules for the early Christians, what should it be for us today?
If we accept Christ's word as being the "sacramental assurance of good relations with God", what place must the word assume in our lives? The “word” is not only a guide to our actions but our hearts; not only our thoughts but our prayers. Today we pray that God’s Law, fulfilled in Christ, will be expressed by our actions.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “Moses” by Guido Reni, 1600-10
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