Yesterday I mentioned that if we are true followers of Christ Jesus our Lord, then there is no switching off the light of Christ we carry within us. Today in the readings we learn that we have no excuse to say we did not know any better than to fall into any form of sin! For the laws of God has been written on our hearts, He is our God and we are His people.
Through Jesus our Lord the veil has been torn and we see Him face to face. How wonderful indeed to have such intimacy with the Lord our God. We are no longer servants but He calls us friends! We are no longer slaves to fear, we are children of God our Heavenly Father!
And so if we are ever tempted to stray, perhaps we should recall the deep, meaningful words of St Peter in Jn 6:68 when he answered Jesus, ““Lord, to whom shall we go? You [alone] have the words of eternal life [you are our only hope].” Amen
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First reading
2 Corinthians 3:4-11
The new covenant is a covenant of the Spirit
Before God, we are confident of this through Christ: not that we are qualified in ourselves to claim anything as our own work: all our qualifications come from God. He is the one who has given us the qualifications to be the administrators of this new covenant, which is not a covenant of written letters but of the Spirit: the written letters bring death, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the administering of death, in the written letters engraved on stones, was accompanied by such a brightness that the Israelites could not bear looking at the face of Moses, though it was a brightness that faded, then how much greater will be the brightness that surrounds the administering of the Spirit! For if there was any splendour in administering condemnation, there must be very much greater splendour in administering justification. In fact, compared with this greater splendour, the thing that used to have such splendour now seems to have none; and if what was so temporary had any splendour, there must be much more in what is going to last for ever.
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Gospel
Matthew 5:17-19
I have not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to complete them
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.’
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