WEDNESDAY, THIRD WEEK OF LENT
Dt 4:1,5-9; Ps 147: 12-13,15-16,19-20; Mt 5: 17-19
KEEP THE LAW AND THE LAW WILL KEEP YOU
Law is one of the most essential elements of life in a society. Following it gives us happiness and peace of mind. We know that all societies have their own laws and traditions for their smooth and healthy functioning. If there was no law, there would be complete anarchy. Each one would do whatever he or she wanted. The truth would be subjective, and Might would be right. But God is not a God of chaos. The order and harmony in the universe testify to this fact. His will is that we should live in harmony.
Today the readings remind us that we should keep the commandments that God has given to us. God chose Moses to deliver the people from Egyptian slavery to the Promised Land. Moses was a leader, a lawgiver, and a teacher. He taught the people of Israel, “…O Israel, listen to the statues and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the lord, the God of your father, is giving you” (Dt 4:1).
As Christians, we too have the commandments which our Lord Jesus Christ gave us. In the Gospel, Jesus tells the people, “Truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of the letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished” (Mt 5:18). When we keep the commandments we become free persons, but when we don’t we become slaves to our passions and desires. The readings assure us that if we follow the commandments of God, we will inherit the kingdom of God. Those who keep the word of God and teach others to do the same will be called great in the kingdom of heaven (cf. Mt 5:20). Jesus also said, “…whoever does the will of my father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Mt 12:50). Let us therefore, be followers of the commandments of Jesus Christ and thus inherit the kingdom of Heaven, the promised land, in other words – ‘eternal life’.
Response: O Jerusalem, glorify the Lord!
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