DETAILS OF THE LAW

 Meditation for Saturday of the First Week of Lent

(Deut 26:16-19; Mt 5:43-48)

Moses urged the people to be detailed in keeping the statues and ordinances of the Lord. “You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul.” Having declared that the Lord is their God, Moses insists that they must not neglect any of the commandments of the Lord. And the Lord declared that if they keep His word, they shall be people of His own possession, “That He will set you high above all nations that he has made in praise and in fame and in honor, and that you shall be a people holy to the Lord your God, as He has spoken.”

 

“You see, anyone who keeps the whole of the law but trips up on a single pint, is still guilty of breaking it all (James 2:10). And St Paul explains that the whole Law is summarized in the one commandment: “You must love your neighbor as yourself” (Gal 5:14). So, we cannot be selective in keeping the law. Through Jesus Christ, the commandments are written in our hearts (Rm 2:15). Thus, we ‘live out’ the new law of love, thereby fulfilling every detail of the law and deepen our relationship with God as His sons and daughters. This is how we fulfill the injunction of Moses that we should be detailed in keeping the statues and ordinances of the Lord.

 

Therefore, Jesus says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good.” This is the crossroad at which our ability to be detailed in keeping the commandments is tested. Like Jesus who prayed for His executioners, we should salute and pray for our enemies. Since we are children of God, we should be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.

Saturday March 4^th, 2023.

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

11^th Lenten Meditation