GOSPEL READING:
Matthew 5:17-1917 "Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Deuteronomy 4:1,5-91 "And now, O Israel, give heed to the statutes and the ordinances which I teach you, and do them; that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, gives you. 5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and ordinances, as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land which you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Keep them and do them; for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, `Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' 7 For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? 8 And what great nation is there, that has statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day? 9 "Only take heed, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children's children
Meditation: Do you view God's law negatively or
positively? Jesus' attitude towards the law of God can be summed
up in the great prayer of Psalm 119: "Oh, how I love your law! It
is my meditation all the day." For the people of Israel the "law"
could refer to the ten commandments or to the five Books of Moses,
called the Pentateuch, which explain the commandments and
ordinances of God for his people. The "law" also referred to the
whole teaching or way of life which God gave to his people. The
Jews in Jesus' time also used it as a description of the oral or
scribal law. Needless to say, the scribes added many more things
to the law than God intended. That is why Jesus often condemned
the scribal law. It placed burdens on people which God had not
intended. Jesus, however, made it very clear that the essence of
God's law - his commandments and way of life, must be fulfilled.
Jesus taught reverence for God's law - reverence for God himself,
for the Lord's Day, reverence or respect for parents, respect for
life, for property, for another person's good name, respect for
oneself and for one's neighbor lest wrong or hurtful desires
master us. Reverence and respect for God's commandments teach us
the way of love - love of God and love of neighbor.
The transforming work of the Holy Spirit
What is impossible to men and women is possible to God and those
who put their faith and trust in God. Through the gift of the Holy
Spirit the Lord transforms us and makes us like himself. We are a
new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) because "God's love
has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has
been given to us" (Romans 5:5). God gives us the grace to love as
he loves, to forgive as he forgives, to think as he thinks, and to
act as he acts.
The Lord loves justice and goodness and he hates every form of
wickedness and sin. He wants to set us free from our unruly
desires and sinful habits, so that we can choose to live each day
in the peace, joy, and righteousness of his Holy Spirit (Romans
14: 17). To renounce sin is to turn away from what is harmful and
destructive for our minds and hearts, and our very lives. As his
followers we must love and respect his commandments and hate every
form of sin. Do you love and revere the commands of the Lord?
Lord Jesus, grant this day, to direct and sanctify, to rule and govern our hearts and bodies, so that all our thoughts, words and deeds may be according to your Father's law and thus may we be saved and protected through your mighty help.
Psalm 147:12-13,15-16,19-20
12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your sons within you.
15 He sends forth his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool; he scatters hoarfrost like ashes.
19 He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and ordinances to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances. Praise the LORD!
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Making daily progress towards God, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"As Christians, our task is to make daily progress toward God.
Our pilgrimage on earth is a school in which God is the only
teacher, and it demands good students, not ones who play truant.
In this school we learn something every day. We learn something
from the commandments, something from examples, and something from
Sacraments. These things are remedies for our wounds and materials
for our studies." (excerpt from Sermon 16A,1)
