Word to the Wise
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 - 3rd Week of Lent - Wed
[Deut 4:1, 5-9 and Matt 5:17-19]WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018 - WEDNESDAY IN THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT [Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9 and Matthew 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." [Matt.] We Dominicans are governed by an elaborate constitution that establishes a democratic form of government that is unique in the Catholic Church. But there is something else about it that is important. St. Dominic left very little in writing, but his intentions in regard to our way of life are to be found in our constitutions. So we revere our constitutions as the presence of our founder in our midst. The Mosaic Law, enshrined in the first five books of the Old Testament, and the prophets, were considered the revelation and voice of God to faithful Jews. The first followers of Jesus did not think that believing in Jesus meant they were no longer Jews. They saw Jesus as the fulfillment of the covenant promises made by God to HIs Chosen People. The laws which governed daily life were still in place, and as the community grew, concern about the role of observance began to create problems. The Gospel According to Matthew was composed in no small part for a predominantly Jewish audience that was feeling the pressure of a new interpretation of Judaism. Matthew assures them that the law and the prophets remained valid. However, Jesus' interpretation of the law would be governing: love of God and neighbor came before any other law. The struggle would continue and we can see it playing out in the writings of St. Paul (especially Romans and Galatians) and St. Luke (Acts of the Apostles). Any Christian who wishes to live a lifestyle based on the Mosaic Law is free to do so, but the context is radically different because Christians accept Jesus as a divine fulfillment of that law. Judaism does not. They still await the Messiah. Nevertheless, what is to be found in Judaism is part of the roots of Christian faith. Jesus was a Jew in his human presence among us. Anti-semitism is a terrible sin in part because it would deny Jesus' identity! In reading Deuteronomy and Matthew today, we are challenged to love what God promised and Jesus who fulfilled that promise. AMEN
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