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Cancelling or Fulfilling – Emptiness or Plenitude |
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Matthew 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. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Introductory Prayer: Father of love, source of all blessings, you have led me throughout my life, and you lead me still. Thank you for your paternal care. Jesus, Son of God, you died for me on the cross to pay for my sins and manifest your unconditional love for me. Thank you for showing me the way home to the Father. Holy Spirit, sweet guest of the soul, you heal me and strengthen me and set me on fire from the most intimate depths of my soul. Thank you for your loving presence within me.
Petition: Jesus, help me to live authentic freedom in union with your will.
1. Bringing to All Fulfillment: Through the law and the prophets God prepared his people for salvation. In Christ that salvation is at hand: Jesus, the Word made flesh, will fulfill the law and the prophets and give them their proper interpretation. The law will move from the tablets of stone to the hearts of men, as demonstrated by the Beatitudes. Jesus came especially to fulfill the deep longing in the human heart for happiness, which is ultimately found in eternal life with God. “But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).
2. Breaking the Rules: “Rules are meant to be broken” – according to the first law of the “Teenage Creed.” As we approach adulthood we may discover external conflicts to our subjective happiness. We call them rules. And as the desire to exercise our own free will grows, we begin to feel the seemingly oppressive weight of these rules – “Do this, don’t do that.” Authority figures can then be perceived to be in direct opposition to our personal fulfillment. We wrongly conclude that rules and happiness are like oil and water. Then we permit patterns of sin to develop despite what our conscience tells us, and we are unwittingly given a glimpse into the way the devil suggests his criteria to us. If we are not careful, we may form deep-seated attitudes that will make us struggle against God and against his criteria – the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the cross, and the teachings of the Church.
3. The Proper Use of Freedom: “The moral law has its origin in God and always finds its source in him” (Saint Pope John Paul II, The Splendor of Truth, no. 40). Our true freedom lies not in the rejection but in the acceptance of God’s moral law. God is not a heartless dictator but a Father who loves us and wills our very best. If he sets standards for us, it is because he has our eternal happiness in mind, like a skilled coach who challenges the athlete to reach his full potential. “Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake?” (Matthew 7:9-10). Jesus posits the question because he knows the Father. Even if we were to know a parent that did not love his child, God the Father is incapable of not desiring what is truly best for us. God is and will always be love.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, sin is always tapping on my door but you have promised me that your grace will always be available. Help me to avail myself of the means of grace you give me to live in union with your eternal law. Mother Most Pure, make my heart only for Jesus.
Resolution: Today I will take a few moments to reflect upon the Ten Commandments or the duties of my state in life. |
June 11, 2014
Jesus Christ is the summary of the Old and New Testament. He came to perfect the law, and his new perfect law is love. The purpose of life is to complete the plan of salvation of God for man. Man was created in the image of God and in his innermost being, God engraved the need to love. All the laws and commandments in fact has been summarized into two commandments: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.
Today’s Gospel reading is taken from the Sermon on the Mount which is like the constitution of the Christian to be a good citizen of heaven. It describes what a Christian is, what kind of person merits being called a disciple of Christ. It goes even further that a Christian not only follows the commandments, not only lives the commandments, but also as important, teaches the commandments. This is made possible with the arrival of Jesus Christ who resurrected from the dead and sent his Holy Spirit to give us sanctifying grace that will help fulfill the commandments of God. By sheer human effort, we cannot fulfill even one commandment. We need the grace of God to be able to do it. This is important for us to realize, that even with the best intentions, without the Holy Spirit, nothing is possible. That is why faith and the Holy Spirit are precisely gift and not reward. We cannot say we deserve grace, nor merit this gift of faith in our Baptism, but it has been given to us free, out of pure love of God for man.