RBWords

     Each of the four gospels has a broad perspective or "big picture" that is its preaching about Jesus.  Scripture scholars tell us that the Gospel of Matthew was addressed to a primarily Jewish-Christian audience which was trying to come to terms with the relationship between the Law of Moses and the preaching of the prophets on the one hand and the teaching of Jesus on the other.  Their belief in Jesus was being rejected by their fellow Jews.  Were they to interpret the law in terms of Jesus?  Or Jesus in terms of the law?  Is it a matter of continuity? Or discontinuity?  The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus as a kind of "new Moses" who gives a "new law" that interprets the old law in terms of his identity and mission.  Thus, maintaining the observances of the Mosaic Law was acceptable as long as it didn't obscure the whole purpose of that law, which was to prepare the Jewish people for the revelation of God in Jesus.  The decisive "break" from Mosaic observances took place when large numbers of Gentile converts began to have an influence.  In Matthew, however, with a Jewish-Christian audience, Jesus is presented as the "fulfillment" of the law, the whole purpose of the law in the first place.

     I could not help but think of this tension between continuity and discontinuity as it is being currently manifested in our church.  Pope Benedict XVI gave a speech not long after his election in which he interpreted the Second Vatican Council by emphasizing continuity with the past and rejected an interpretation that emphasized a break with the past.  This tension between continuity and discontinuity is being played out in practical ways.  Some would see the recent new translation of the Roman Missal as an effort to "turn back the clock" on the part of those who really wish the Second Vatican Council had never taken place.  This is a more "Petrine" way of seeing things which emphasizes the role of the papacy and Rome.  On the other side, one might speak of a "Pauline" way that emphasizes a new path that is not so dependent on external observances and a highly centralized church government.  [The Eastern rites of the church fall somewhere in between this with their own traditions but also with an insistence that Rome has only an "edge" in governance and not complete power.]    

     For the average pew-person I suspect this argument may resemble the beer commercial about "tastes great" versus "less filling."  The Holy Spirit will have to work overtime and over time to help us find our way through.  Keeping an eye on the whole purpose, namely Jesus and his teachings, is one way to get a handle on it!   AMEN