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Gospel: 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.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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By the end of 40 days of fasting, no chocolate, no social media, and meatless Fridays, we’ll all have had our share of penance.
But if these Lenten penances are driven solely by a sense of obligation – because we should do them – then what good are they, really?
What matters to God is whether or not we’ve been inwardly changed this Lent. Have we grown in charity, patience, or kindness? Have we grown in love?
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The same is true with the Law of the Old Testament.
God gave the Jews 10 commandments to follow. But by the time Jesus walked this earth, rabbis created over 600 more!
Thus a “faithful” Jew would’ve had his or her share of penance trying to keep all of these rigid and particular rules.
But if keeping the Law was only done out of a sense of obligation – if it didn’t lead to an inner transformation and an increase in love – then what good was it?
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This is Jesus’ point in today’s Gospel.
“I have come not to abolish, but to fulfill the Law,” he says. But the Law and all of the prophets can be summarized in a single word: LOVE.
God came to show us how to love.
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That’s the standard by which we should judge our fruitfulness this Lent – how much we’ve grown in love for God and for one another.
So, how do you measure up?
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Image credits: (1) boruachelohim, Jewish Law (2) Jesus, Pantocrator, Wikipedia (3) Living Scripture, WordPress