Word to the Wise
Wednesday, March 22, 2017 - 3rd Week of Lent - Wed
[Deut 4:1, 5-9 and Matt 5:17-19]"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill." [Matthew]
Scripture scholars tell us that the community to which the Gospel According to Matthew was originally addressed consisted primarily of Jewish disciples who accepted Jesus as the Messiah. They did not see themselves as being "Christians" in the sense that that word later came to mean. They still considered themselves to be faithful Jews and bound to the Law of Moses, especially the "Torah," (as set forth in the first five books of the Hebrew Testament [i.e. the "Old Testament"]. Since Jesus was highly criticized by the scribes, chief priests and Pharisees for his attitude and teaching about the observances of the Law of Moses, these disciples would be very concerned about the role of the Law of Moses in their faith and daily lives. Jesus' fundamental stance is given in the quote above: I have coe not to abolish but to fulfill." He would be the personification of all that the Law of Moses was intended to accomplish. The tension between those Jews who believed in Jesus and those who did not would, however, continue to grow since the implications of Jesus' teachings and what he commanded at the Last Supper concerning the Eucharist, and his death and resurrection would eventually create a gap that remains today.
The Second Vatican Council [1962-65] firmly rejected any form of anti-semitism. A later document would also reject any notion that Christians have a duty to proselytize or convert Jews to Christianity. Furthermore, the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament in Christian parlance) is still part of the Word of God and God's promises to the Jewish people are still a reality. Our own Christian faith has its roots in Judaism. Jesus was a Jew. Repudiation of Judaism means cutting us off from our own beginnings.
If scripture reading is one of our Lenten resolutions, I recommend first of all paying close attention to those daily first scriptures. Then I recommend reading bit by bit the whole Old Testament. There are a number of ways to do this, and there are many helps available. I feel the best thing I did for myself in this regard when I became a novice in the Dominican Order was to read the Bible cover to cover first without trying to go deep. The second time through was for going deeper. This process can bring a depth and appreciation of our faith that is worth every effort (especially when going through all those lists and precepts). This way we learn what it is that Jesus fulfilled! AMEN
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