Word to the Wise
Wednesday, March 23, 2022 - 3rd Week of Lent - Wed
[Deut 4:1, 5-9 and Matt 5:17-19]Moses spoke to the people and said: "Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you." [Deuteronomy] Jesus said to the disciples: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill." [Matthew]
I come from a family of lawyers. My father was a lawyer and judge. My two younger brothers (one of them deceased) are lawyers. Some of their children are lawyers. I also have a law degree and was a member of the Bar for 40 years. I am well acquainted with the uses and abuses of law both in American and Catholic contexts. So, I naturally pay close attention to the texts of scripture that deal with law and its uses and abuses. Both scriptures assigned for today are concerned with the status of a body of "law" - the Mosaic law. In Deuteronomy, it is a matter of re-discovery and revival of observance in a time of reform. In the Gospel According to Matthew, it is a matter of understanding the law and prophets in the light of Jesus' teaching, death and resurrection.
In reading the gospels, it is important to remember that each of the four was originally written for a particular audience at a particular time in a particular context. In the case of the Gospel According to Matthew, it was written for a community composed primarily of Jewish faithful who accepted Jesus as the Messiah, but were concerned about the resistance they were experiencing from their fellow Jews who rejected Jesus. A whole way of life seemed to be on the table. This tension would take many years to resolve and was a major issue in St. Paul's ministry. [Cf. Acts 15]. In addressing the concerns of the Jewish faithful, the evangelist presents Jesus as the "fulfillment" of the law and the whole purpose of the law. In other words, those who followed the law of Moses were to understand it in the light of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. It should be remembered that Jesus fiercely challenged the religious authorities of the Jewish community - Pharisees, scribes, chief priests and "elders of the people," on their uses and abuses of the law.
All of this might seem to be something of the past except that there are sincere individuals in the Catholic world who consider the Council of Trent (1545-1561) and its vision of the church to be the definitive law and reject subsequent teaching like the Second Vatican Council. This has led to significant tension. The Holy Spirit has a lot of work to do. AMEN