Wednesday 28 August 2024
St Augustine
2 Thessalonians 3:6-10, 16-18. Happy are those who fear the Lord – Psalm 127(128):1-2, 4-5. Matthew 23:27-32.
We need to concentrate on the Law of God
There is a strong contrast between Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians and Matthew’s account of the seven ‘Alas’ episodes. Paul is asserting that the tradition that was passed on to his brothers, the Jewish tradition, is to be upheld in Jesus’ name. All must follow the rules and live and work together, with everyone pulling their weight.
However, the two ‘Alas’ statements in this pericope from Matthew decry the Pharisees and the scribes and the way in which they follow the law – so overbearingly swamped with laws formulated by men – not the Law that God planted in their hearts.
Paul’s writing comes much earlier than Matthew’s, and so it reflects the development of the Jewish and Christian communities and how they eventually moved apart from each other. There are still things that get in the way of us being unified within the Church. We need to concentrate on the Law that God has planted in our hearts.
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