Word to the Wise
Friday, July 23, 2021 - Friday in the 16th Week in Ordinary Time
[Exod 20:1-17 and Matt 13:18-23]"I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me......." [Exodus]
The first scripture for today features something that shapes our lives as Christians (and Jews) and even, to some extent, our nation - the Ten Commandments! These are given to Moses on Mt. Sinai and represent the covenant between God and Israel and all of us as well! Popular imagination (including the 1956 movie THE TEN COMMANDMENTS) has God carving these commandments on stone tablets like a laser - sometimes with Roman numerals! We Catholics learn about them in catechism class and we use them to examine our consciences before the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There is no escaping their influence.
One reason for this influence is that the Ten Commandments reflect a fundamental law for maintaining a community in reasonable unity., especially while wandering in the desert! They reflected some of the rules of surrounding cultures as well as the needs of the struggling Jewish confederation of tribes. The first three concern the whole idea of something sacred that gives motivation for the remaining ones. With the remaining seven, it is clear that without them no human community can long survive. They not only touch on external behavior but on internal thoughts as well ("Thou shall not COVET......).
The "new covenant" of Christ does not replace the Ten Commandments, but gives them their proper motivation. Love of God and neighbor should motivate us to honor our parents, avoid killing one another, or stealing or bearing false witness or envying others' belongings or relationships. Without this motivation, we have only the secular law and penalties to protect us. Jesus raised the Ten Commandments to a new level and we are challenged to live them on that level. AMEN