Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent
COMMANDMENTS:
OF FREEDOM AND LOVE
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 signs of belonging to God and God’s nearness. And they were witnesses that love of God and love of neighbor 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 neighbor, animated by love.
Reading 1: Deuteronomy 4:1-2
Gospel: Matthew 5:17-20
“Don’t suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God’s Law or the Prophets. I’m not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God’s Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Law will be alive and working. “Trivialize even the smallest item in God’s Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won’t know the first thing about entering the kingdom.
Prayer
Lord, our God,
you have given us your commandments
to set us on the road of freedom
from all forms of alienation.
May we learn to obey them
not to save ourselves by observances
nor to do you favors,
but to be free for you and for people
and to live in your love,
with Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord.
Reflection:
15 March 2023
Mathew 5:17-19
Accompanying in humility
“Whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.” -Matthew 5:19
The theme of both readings of today is the Law. The Lord gives the Law to his people with an attitude of closeness. They are not the prescriptions of a far-away dictator. Our God is the God of nearness, a God who walks with his people and falls in love with his people. Falling in love is a phrase often used to refer to the love between life partners, where the lovers are willing to give in and give up everything else for the beloved. This love and closeness always bring with it some vulnerability.
Pope Francis develops this theme and says, ‘Walking with his people and falling in love with them, God makes Himself vulnerable. The closer He comes, the more vulnerable He seems. When He comes among us, to live with us, He makes himself a man, one of us: he makes himself weak and takes up that weakness to the point of death – the most cruel death, the death of the greatest sinners. He humiliates Himself to be with us, to walk with us, to help us.
How often in life do we simply go through the rituals of being Christians? Sitting in Mass on Sundays, saying a quick prayer at night before falling asleep, giving up sweets or Facebook for Lent without really thinking about what Lent is all about…and these make me feel happy for fulfilling my obligations of a good Christian. Jesus challenges us to move away from our superficialities to fully enter into a relationship with God. Following the commandments and observing the rituals of the Church alone do not make us faithful to Christ.
When I profess to be a Christian but ignore and forget the commandment of Christ to love my fellow brethren, am I not a hypocrite? Christ teaches us to love God through our love and concern for those around us. How often have we ignored them? Our regular attendance to the Sunday liturgy and external displays of religiosity would be a counter witnessing if we move about with a foul mouth, gossiping and deceiving those around us. Have you come across Christians who refuse to go back to the Church because of the anti-witnessing of the regular church-goers who scrupulously follow the rules?
If we want to follow Jesus and lead others towards Jesus, today’s Gospel has a proposal: Be close to our fellow brethren, fall in love with them and be vulnerable and humble. God wants us to accept the life proposal he sets before us and lead others into the same life principles; he wants us to be called the greatest in his Kingdom!