Wednesday 9 June 2021
St Ephrem
2 Corinthians 3:4-11. Holy is the Lord our God – Ps 98(99):5-9. Matthew 5:17-19.
I have not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to complete them
Today’s readings speak of the holiness of God, characterised by justice, righteousness, fairness and forgiveness. God’s Law, given to Moses and Aaron is also holy. The Psalm describes God speaking to his people ‘from the pillar of cloud,’ a distant and mysterious image. The Covenant between God and his people is lived out by them in faithful obedience to the laws and commands God has given them. But Jesus, while affirming that Law to the last detail, calls for something deeper. ‘You will be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven . . . only if you are more faithful in doing what God requires.’ Outward faithfulness to God’s Law without inner charity is not enough. The holiness Jesus calls for ‘is written with the spirit of the living God and not on stone tablets, but on human hearts’; a mysterious yet intimate image of the New Covenant. God’s Spirit speaks heart to heart.
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