“WARM WITH GOD’S LOVE”
Lenten Reflections
7thMarch 2018.
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WEDNESDAY, THIRD WEEK OF LENT
Reading 1: Deut 4:1, 5-9 Moses pleads with his people to observe the Law that the Lord God has given them and to remember all the good deeds God has done for them.
Res. Psalm: Ps 147: 12-13,15-16,19-20 O praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
Gospel:Mt 5:17-19 Jesus tells us that he has not come to abolish the old Law but to fulfill it.
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CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW
Moses stands before the people and admonishes them prior to their entrance into the Promised Land. They have sojourned in the desert, an entire generation perishing, and now they are facing their new life in the land to which God has led them. They are told to hear and to observe the Law that they might enter in and take possession of the land of promise. These laws are life giving. Now God’s people are to dwell among the nations as light and hope, as the presence of God, witnessing to the power of God in their relationships, and ways of life. Without the law they are without life, hope, direction, and strength; they are isolated from each other and from God. It is crucial that they learn obedience in this land and do not forget the lessons of the desert: faithfulness, obedience, trust, and heeding the voice of God in their leaders.
Jesus refers to the “law and the prophets” stating that He came not to abolish them but to fulfill them. It took time for the perfect plan of God to unfold. But it did unfold in His time and in His way. Prophet after prophet came and went and continued to point to the future coming of the Messiah. Even when the Messiah finally did come, there were many who, in their excitement and zeal, wanted Him to fulfill all things right then and there. They wanted their earthly kingdom to be established and they wanted their newfound Messiah to take up His Kingdom! But God’s plan was so very different than human wisdom.
Jesus fulfilled every part of the Old Testament law and prophets, just not in the way many were expecting. Jews in Jesus' time had become so focused on individual rules and traditions in the Law of Moses that they lost sight of the big picture. They found it hard to recognize that Jesus himself was the fulfillment of the Law that he was the Law of God incarnate. By his words and deeds, he brought the Law to life. No longer just a series of writings, the Law was now a living reality that everyone could experience. Reflect today if you are near-sighted like the Jews? Do you see Jesus as the living fulfillment of the Law?
Prayer: Lord, I entrust my life to You. I trust that You have the perfect plan for me and for all Your beloved children. Give me patience to wait upon You and to let You bring Your divine will to fulfillment in my life. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen
Lenten Act: Buy five or more tree saplings, and plant them in free spaces. Make the Earth greener, and beautiful for our future generations.