Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent
(Deuteronomy 4:1.5-9; Matthew 5:17-19)
After almost two hundred fifty years the United States is no
longer a young country. What has
allowed its government to function so long?
Many would argue with its second president that the country is a “nation
of laws, not of men.” The United States government has always followed its
constitutional processes even if they seemed unwise or inadequate. The Book of Deuteronomy likewise values the
law as today’s first reading proclaims.
Jesus in the gospel says that he is not about to do away with it.
To this day Jews hold the Mosaic law in the utmost
esteem. For centuries some of their
wisest people have studiously applied it to new contexts. Especially in Matthew’s gospel Jesus is seen
as a wise man interpreting the law for his disciples. He makes several emendations but never presents
a new constitution.
We sometimes dismiss Jewish law as outdated. That was not Jesus’ intent. If we examine the law closely, we will find
it observed by the Church in different ways.
Its liturgical laws have been assumed into our liturgy. Its moral laws form the basis of Christian
morality along with the teachings of the Lord Jesus. Only the sacrificial laws have been
completely replaced by Jesus’ perfect sacrifice on the cross.
