Gospel: Fulfillment of the Law
We arrive at the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, and today's Gospel reading was lifted from St Matthew where Jesus told his followers that He came into this world not to abolish the Law of Moses but to fulfill them. He then further went to elaborate this opening statement by telling them how to do this by rebuking how the Pharisees follow the law by their emphasis on the letters of the law and exterior acts, and giving examples on what should be done.
As we follow the public ministry of Jesus and how He preaches, we will always remember what God desires us to do, which is to love sincerely. To guard our hearts. The law was supposed to lead us to the mercy of God, to the very heart of God, but instead, the law became an instrument of tyranny among the people of God; it became a tool for the leaders of the Temple to lean on their own understanding as teachers, and forget that it is not about them, but what is the will of God that must prevail.
St Matthew wrote this preaching to remind Jewish converts to Christianity on how to live as Christians, and how it differs from simply following the law in exterior acts, just for the sake of following it. To be Christian is to love sincerely not just in words but in deeds. If someone is preaching something but it cannot be seen on how he conducts his life, then this preaching will lead us into a ditch.
The Gospel also teaches us about the sin of omission. It is not enough that we follow the ten commandments. It is not enough to avoid murder, but we need to pick someone up when he falls, and breathe life into him by guiding him to the right path. It is not enough to avoid adultery, but we have to protect our own marriage by making our families stronger by raising responsible children. It is not enough to avoid stealing, but we should share what we have to those who are in need.
Being a Christian is about love. But love is a verb. It requires action. God showed this love to us, a love which cannot be seen, to be seen in Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us all love which can be seen and felt, just like how God loved us first.
Amen.
x----x
Picture from Pixabay.
As we follow the public ministry of Jesus and how He preaches, we will always remember what God desires us to do, which is to love sincerely. To guard our hearts. The law was supposed to lead us to the mercy of God, to the very heart of God, but instead, the law became an instrument of tyranny among the people of God; it became a tool for the leaders of the Temple to lean on their own understanding as teachers, and forget that it is not about them, but what is the will of God that must prevail.
St Matthew wrote this preaching to remind Jewish converts to Christianity on how to live as Christians, and how it differs from simply following the law in exterior acts, just for the sake of following it. To be Christian is to love sincerely not just in words but in deeds. If someone is preaching something but it cannot be seen on how he conducts his life, then this preaching will lead us into a ditch.
The Gospel also teaches us about the sin of omission. It is not enough that we follow the ten commandments. It is not enough to avoid murder, but we need to pick someone up when he falls, and breathe life into him by guiding him to the right path. It is not enough to avoid adultery, but we have to protect our own marriage by making our families stronger by raising responsible children. It is not enough to avoid stealing, but we should share what we have to those who are in need.
Being a Christian is about love. But love is a verb. It requires action. God showed this love to us, a love which cannot be seen, to be seen in Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us all love which can be seen and felt, just like how God loved us first.
Amen.
x----x
Picture from Pixabay.
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