THROUGH CHRIST TOWARD GOD…

2 Corinthians 3:4-11

4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.
5 Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God,
6 who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not in a written code but in the Spirit; for the written code kills, but the Spirit gives life.
7 Now if the dispensation of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such splendor that the Israelites could not look at Moses’ face because of its brightness, fading as this was,
8 will not the dispensation of the Spirit be attended with greater splendor?
9 For if there was splendor in the dispensation of condemnation, the dispensation of righteousness must far exceed it in splendor. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had splendor has come to have no splendor at all, because of the splendor that surpasses it.11 For if what faded away came with splendor, what is permanent must have much more splendor.

Matthew 5:17-19

17 “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.
18 For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.
19 Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  

MEDITATION

St PAUL describe the Apostles as being mere vessels that have been called to minister to the people. Their gifts, and adroit leadership is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Paul contrasts the old covenant commandments that Moses received carved in stone, with the Word that was delivered by the Spirit’ of God, as being the perfection of the OT written laws that served to be a form of punishment for disobedience. The Spirit on the other hand pours out to the repentant sinner grace and forgiveness. Whilst the old covenant was magnificent, the new covenant is permanent, elegant and rich in mercy, because the Spirit is the giver of life!

St MATTHEW records our Lords teaching that the OT laws that inacted the moral order and codes of mans relationship with one another is not repealed or done away with. The law our Lord refers to is generally known as the natural law which is described as a system of “right justice” that is common to all humans as derived from nature. 

Catec 1970 The Law of the Gospel requires us to make the decisive choice between “the two ways” and to put into practice the words of the Lord. It is summed up in the Golden Rule, “Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; this is the law and the prophets.”
The entire Law of the Gospel is contained in the “new commandment” of Jesus, to love one another as he has loved us.

1972 The New Law is called a law of love because it makes us act out of the love infused by the Holy Spirit, rather than from fear; a law of grace, because it confers the strength of grace to act, by means of faith and the sacraments; a law of freedom, because it sets us free from the ritual and juridical observances of the Old Law, inclines us to act spontaneously by the prompting of charity and, finally, lets us pass from the condition of a servant who “does not know what his master is doing” to that of a friend of Christ – “For all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” – or even to the status of son and heir.

To be sure the legal system as practiced in western civilization has its offspring in the OT laws which the Catholic Church embraced, and coded in predominantly the Latin and Greek languages.It is said that the Latin language has remained pure and untainted in so far as the meaning of words have not evolved or devolved hence it’s standing in law to accurately describe moral codes of ethics. Latin is the official language of the Church that she use to ennumerate Christ’s law of love and grace which is a law of splendor and magnificence of freedom with responsibility that leads us to our salvation and friendship with God. 

LET US PRAY: Psalms 99:5-9

5 Extol the LORD our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They cried to the LORD, and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept his testimonies, and the statutes that he gave them.
8 O LORD our God, thou didst answer them; thou wast a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Extol the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy!

Author. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days.