Friars Corner: The New Testament Great Commandment
Sirach 15:15-20; Psalm 119:1-2,4-5, 17-18, 33-34; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37 or Mt 5:20-22a. 27-28, 33-34 and 37
We Christians are storytellers. Each day at daily Mass Liturgy, we are reading stories about Jesus and his wonderful care for us. Daily at this time of year before Lent, we are reading from the early chapters of St. Mark.
What was Jesus doing in the first part of his public life? Jesus got countless people’s attention by healing them. The stories and different and wonderful. The love and care for people was awesome.
The early followers of Jesus were empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to go forth to the whole world to bring the good news of Jesus to all peoples in power. They weren’t perfect but God used them to spread the news.
Some wrote down the stories in gospels and letters. Over most of the world, we are doing what Jesus commanded us to do especially at daily Mass. Our most important storytelling event. Jesus teaches us by the scriptures and giving us our daily bread of life. Amazing grace.
New Kingdom, new commandment
Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament laws and established a new kingdom full of great wisdom to live a successful life in God’s power and light. The laws given to Moses in Exodus 20:1-17 are divided into two sections. The first three commandments deal with God’s creative power for everything in the universe, honoring his holy name, having no false gods before him and honoring the Sabbath as a day of rest from work. The last seven are simple moral guidelines for living a successful life on earth. Violating these norms does not produce a happy or successful life.
Three of the gospels give us summaries of Moses Ten Commandments, which can be called the Great Commandment. Jesus does not repeat the Ten Commandments. The summaries are found in Matthew 22:35-40; Mark 12:28-34 and Luke 10:27ff. St. Luke says: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as you love [accept and respect] yourself.”
That sounds very simple yet if we have not been raised in a good and happy Catholic/Christian family we don’t come out happy and able to respect and love others.
As we look around at our family, society, country and world, we see the violations of the last norms given by God to Moses. There is a lot we could say about each of these norms. Simply put, they are to honor our parents, do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness against your neighbor, and do not desire your neighbor’s wife/husband, nor any or all of their possessions. We can see how evil entraps many in the world around us. That is not Godly wisdom that will lead us to heavenly happiness.
From debit to positive
How can we move from the debit side of our life and be moved by God’s graces to the positive side of life? We can focus some of our day on going more frequently to Mass. That is the greatest source of God’s power, guidance and healing. Then we can set aside a special space where we live as a “little study and prayer place.”
Reading the New Testament and studying it with our daily prayer helps fill us up with God’s wisdom, light, love and joy for our daily life. Then as we live in our family with more of God’s grace and as we go out into the world we glow brighter with God’s love and joy. Thus, we radiate his love for ourselves and others.
Dear friends, let us glow each day brighter with God’s love. Love, joy and peace can be flowing like a river out of you and me, flowing out into the desert, setting others free.
Have a blessed week,
+ Father Bob Hilz
fbhilz@gmail.com
(© 2020 Father Bob Hilz, TOR)
Fr. Bob Hilz, TOR
If you missed it, here’s the JoyAlive.net link to my last week’s work on Jesus as the Light of the World:
Friar’s Corner: Let your Christ-light shine
