Daily Retreat 06/15/06

2006 Jun 15 Thu: Ordinary Weekday
1 Kgs 18: 41-46/ Ps 64(65): 10. 11. 12-13/ Mt 5: 20-26
Note: Corpus Christi is celebrated today in some regions.

 

From today’s readings:  “The hand of the LORD was on Elijah....  It is right to praise You in Zion, O God....  Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven....”

 

Inside & Outside

 

As Jesus explained, He came to fulfill the Old Testament Law and Prophets, not to abolish them.  As the first example of His fulfillment, He considers the Fifth Commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” certainly one of the clearest dictates of the old Law.

 

Jesus, of course, does not abrogate that cornerstone of civic order - rather, He builds on it, insisting that not only will we be judged on the basis of our actions, but we’re even also answerable for our attitudes and interior dispositions.  Thus, since murder is sparked by anger and disdain, those tendencies must be immediately addressed so that they never can develop to the point of even contemplating murder.

 

In addition, strained relations with others even jeopardizes our good relation with God, so “if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”  Jesus thus fulfills the Old Testament by re-affirming the old Law’s principles of exterior conduct and logically extending the principles to guide interior dispositions.