Wednesday 15 March 2023
Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem – Psalm 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20. Matthew 5:17-19.
I have not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to complete them
‘Why do we have laws?’ is a fundamental question in criminology studies. Yet such a simple question elicits a surprising number of complicated answers ranging from the Marxist ‘laws are there to oppress the people with the least’ to the utopian ‘laws mean justice’. At their best laws are a guide to living and behaving in a functioning and caring society but they are not, and cannot be, perfect. Nuance is missing.
The necessity of keeping the Law is key in today’s first reading where Moses tells the people of Israel to heed the Law if they want God’s favour, while in Matthew’s Gospel Jesus tells his disciples that he has come to complete the Law. We know that it is Jesus who provides the nuance, who perfects the Law.
We pray today for the wisdom and the courage to discern the path on which Jesus is leading us.
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