Gospel of 10 June 2020
Wednesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
Matthew 5:17-19
I have not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to complete them
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.’
Reflexion
One of the most frequent complaint against the Church these days is that, we seem to be more a Church of Laws rather than a Church of Love. The statement suggests that there is an opposition between laws and love. But the reality is that the rejection of legalism often reveals a new form of legalism – when you break a law, you end up making another.
Today, we have a passage from the gospel that puts things in their proper perspective. Jesus says, “I have come not to abolish them but to complete them.” But Jesus does not stop here. He proceeds to issue this warning, “Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.” Doesn’t this make Jesus sound legalistic?
Most critics of the Church’s laws would rather portray Jesus as a rebel, who came to undo the law, condemn the legalism of the Pharisees and set up a new relationship with God that was solely based on grace and freedom. For them, Jesus must always be a Jesus of Love. He is never the Jesus of Law. Yes, it is an attractive image in today’s modern society but a false one, as our gospel demonstrates today.
What these critics fail to realise is that there is no inconsistency between, the Jesus of Love and the Jesus of the Law. Love itself is a law. Jesus commands us to love. So what happens when you take away the law or choose to ignore it? You do not suddenly become more loving by breaking the law. The rioters in America who are even now breaking countless laws by committing violence, destruction and looting are not showing us how loving they are. No, when you choose to ignore and reject the law, you would most likely find hatred and anarchy rather than love!
Let us never forget that love demands that we obey and keep God’s commandments. Mercy and Love can never mean a licence to do whatever we want to do; most especially to go against the will of the One whom we profess to love! Obedience to God’s Law is proof of our love for Him. So if you say you love God, obey His commandments.