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     The evangelist Matthew composed his gospel portrait of Jesus for a community that was primarily Jewish in origin.  The TORAH (first five books of the Old Testament) contained the 613 precepts from the Mosaic Law which represented the covenant with God that made the Jews a particularly chosen People.  We can see this whole attitude in the passage from Deuteronomy which forms the first scripture for today: 'This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.' For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him?  Or what great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?

     So, what does Jesus mean when he says that he has not come to abolish the Mosaic Law but to fulfill it?  This is a matter of debate.  Some interpreters see this as a manifestation of the Jewish-Christian argument for maintaining the observances of the Mosaic Law as an essential element of Christian life just as it was of Jewish life.  Others argue that Jesus is saying that the covenant is a good thing but Christians are called to do better.  The latter argument is taken further by St. Paul (a former Pharisee) who argued that Christ transcended the law and made it no longer necessary. [cf. Acts 15:1-29].

     Historically, it is clear that the precepts of the Mosaic Law have left their mark on Christianity in the form of the Ten Commandments and the law of love of God and neighbor.  But it is the belief in Jesus as the Messiah and his own teaching about the way we should live and believe that is central to Christians. 

      We Catholics can easily get caught up in a "Catholicism of rules," and forget the more fundamental values represented in the Sermon on the Mount, which Matthew composed from Jesus' teachings.  The liturgical season of Lent is a challenge to return to those values in thought and in deed.  AMEN