Daily Scripture Reflection & Prayer: March 6, 2024

Date:   Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Lent

Scripture Text:  Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

Breaking the text open – background and summary:

The gospel text for today, drawn from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, repeats Jesus’ declaration that He did not come to abolish the law or prophets but to fulfill, to perfect them. When Jesus speaks this, He is speaking of the Law of the Covenant which demands that we love the LORD with all our being and one another as well as ourselves. They help us to acknowledge our relationships with the LORD and one another. Christ perfects our understanding of the law and the prophets through his teaching and his example, loving the Father and living the will of the Father no matter the cost.

Meditating on the text with personal questions:

How committed am I to living the law of loving relationships with my LORD and with all my sisters and brothers on earth? Am I selective as to how and when I consider my relationships?

Praying:

LORD, Almighty Father, You sent your only-begotten Son to dwell among us as our brother because of your great love for us and your desire for us to share life with You, that we be reconciled with You, and that we love You as we are called to love You and that we love one another as sisters and brothers. Send your Spirit to stir within us your transformative love so that it might illuminate our minds and tenderize our hearts. Grant that we may embrace the teachings of your beloved Son in the Gospels and conform ourselves to His example of love lived. We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Spirit, one LORD, forever and ever. Amen.