Thursday of the
Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
(II Corinthians 3:15-4:1.3-6; Matthew 5:20-26)
A scholar once wrote a book criticizing the idea that
Shakespeare transcends the times in which he wrote. He demonstrated that although Shakespeare’s thoughts
have a universal scope, to understand them well one has to know about his world. Paul is saying something similar in today’s first
reading.
Paul writes that Jews read Moses’ Law (the first five
books of the Bible) with their faces veiled (I.e., superficially) unless they
read him through lens of Christ. An
example might be taken from today’s gospel.
It is not sufficient to follow literally the Law’s command not to
kill. Jesus insists that people care for
one another. Paul adds that when people
read Moses through Christ, they actually become like Christ.
We often give up the quest to be like Christ because we
may fail early and often to love. We should
not become discouraged but look for little ways to care for others. A smile, kind words, perhaps an offer to
share an apple at lunch – all make us more like Christ.
