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Today's Gospel: Matthew 5:17-19

There seems to be some confusion among the people of Jesus’ time. They think that He is changing the law of God that they are so accustomed to following. He quickly corrects them. He is not here to get rid of the law but to complete and enrich its message.

In our day, the law of God is being abolished. The moral law given to us from the beginning is slowly but surely being erased—from our philosophy and thinking, from decisions made in our legal system, and in our culture. The smallest letters of the law of God are being made smaller. Both arrogance and ignorance become our teachers, and the Voice of Jesus is necessarily silenced.

What does this mean for the Kingdom? If we do hear His Voice how do we begin the journey back to life centered on Christ and His Law?

One heart at a time, beginning with our own. We are, of course, all sinners, all subject to this lawless existence. But through the grace of God, our eyes are opened. Through the grace of God, we allow the fulfillment of the Law into our hearts. And through the grace of God, we are indebted now to others: to bring the Kingdom of God as we speak, to be the presence of Christ as we teach with love and compassion. We remember His mercy to us as He lovingly showed us the Law and we now offer this mercy to others.

God is not stingy with us. He has given us to eat of every tree in the garden. St. John Paul II states in His encyclical The Splendor of Truth, “With this imagery, revelation teaches that the power to decide what is good and what is evil, does not belong to man, but to God alone. Man is certainly free in as much as he can understand and accept God's commands, and he possesses an extremely far-reaching freedom since he can eat of every tree in the Garden, but his freedom is not unlimited. It must halt before the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for it is called to accept the moral law given by God.” May we recognize God as a giver of the law in mercy.

Ponder:

Am I easily overwhelmed by the state of our nation and culture and its lack of acknowledgment of God and His laws? Do I give up hope as a result?

Pray:

Lord, only by the grace of God have you taught me your moral law, and its fulfillment in the words of Jesus Christ and the teachings of His Church. Please continue to fill me with light and awareness of your Presence in my life, and grant me the grace to share this Kingdom and law with joy and with courage!

We thank our friends at The Word Among Us for providing our gospel reflection team with copies of Abide In My Word 2015: Mass Readings at Your Fingertips. To pray the daily gospels with this wonderful resource, visit The Word Among Us.

Copyright 2015 Cynthia Ann Costello