THE MEASURE OF GREATNESS IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Lenten Weekday

By Lorenz S. Centino, Jr.

Matthew 5: 17 - 19

17 "Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. 18 For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS:

A BLESSED WEDNESDAY TO ALL!!!

Many have observed that RESPECT for the LAW is something that many of us Filipinos have a hard time to uphold at all times. Because of this observation, many have made the insinuations that we LACK DISCIPLINE and short of OBEDIENCE to AUTHORITY. These insinuations only highlight the attitude that we always want SHORT CUTS and so detest procedures, processes to follow and course of action to observe. We tend to do things on our own accord to the point of circumventing and avoiding the prescriptions of our laws. By not following simple traffic rules, many accidents happen on our streets that cause many DEATHS. Laws are made to facilitate the experience of the FULLNESS of LIFE. Traffic rules, for example, are in place to safeguard all travelers, passengers, drivers and pedestrians from any harm and danger.

In the Gospel today Jesus is providing us a positive attitude to the law. He declares categorically, “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come NOT to ABOLISH them but to FULFILL them.” The Jews have a great respect and regard to the Law because it is the expression of God’s Will for them. The first reading today, from the book of Deuteronomy, perfectly expressed this high respect and regard to the law, “And now, O Israel, give heed to the statutes and the ordinances which I teach you, and do them; that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, gives you” (Deut.4:1). This high regard for the law is based on the assurance that God will bless them by their obedience. God will give them a land they can claim their own. Obedience to the law, therefore, brings BLESSINGS! God promised them that by their obedience they will LIVE. God’s Law, therefore, is the guarantee for them for the experience of the fullness of life.

Jesus has shown to us that to fulfill the law is OBEYING its demands or mandates. And so Jesus declared solemnly that his FOOD is to DO the WILL of his Father. And so we can be reminded how Jesus answered Satan who tempted him in the desert that man does not live by BREAD alone but also by the WORDS of God. In the context of the Gospel today, we can LIVE TRULY by FOLLOWING the LAW of God. Jesus, however, did not just highlight the necessity for obedience, but also giving a WARNING to those who will CHANGE the Law by RELAXING its demands. Jesus warned, “Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” The Gospel then challenges us KEEP and OBSERVE the Law of God.

The basic Law of God that most people can identify with easily is enshrined in the Ten Commandments. If we dissect its very content, the SPIRIT of the Ten Commandment is the promotion of HARMONIOUS RELATIONSHIP with GOD, with the SELF and OTHERS! And so the Lord Jesus summarized the Law and the Prophets with the supreme commandment of LOVE- for God, the self and others! To fulfill God’s Law then is to LOVE! In the Gospel today Jesus warns us of the danger in relaxing the Law of God. To relax from loving, then, makes one becomes LEAST in the Kingdom of God. The true measure, therefore, of becoming GREAT in the Kingdom of God is LOVE!