Memorial of Saint Clare of Assisi, virgin
(Deuteronomy 4:
32-40; Matthew 16:24-28)
The Book of
Deuteronomy reads like a reflective summary of the first four books of the
Pentateuch. It literally means second law: that is, the review of the
law that God gave Moses for Israel. In today’s
reading Moses exhorts the people to remember all the good things that the Lord
has done for them and to respond to His love by being faithful to His commands.
God’s goodness
began with His choosing Israel from all the peoples of the earth to be especially
His own. Certainly Abraham trusted God,
but there were other faithful men and women people whom God did not choose to
parent His people. God also rescued
Israel from slavery in Egypt in quite astounding ways. Finally, God taught His people justice so
that they might prosper not just for a generation or a century but forever.
However God’s plan
was not to limit Himself to the Semitic nation on the eastern shore of the
Mediterranean. Rather, he meant to
include all nations into His people. This
has been accomplished through His Son, Jesus.
If Deuteronomy is a second law
in the sense that it reviews the law already given, Jesus gives a fresh second law that touches deeper
dimensions of the human spirit. Today’s
gospel expresses part of what Jesus’ law entails: anyone and everyone might join
God’s people by choosing to walk with him.
Like Jesus we are not to evade our responsibilities – our crosses. Rather we are to carry them out to
completion.
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