Fulfillment

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.”

Mt. 5:17

Have you ever mistaken someone’s actions or intentions for bad when they really meant well? Maybe you were a new manager or leader on staff and brought in a different skillset and others were guarded against you because they thought you wanted to bring change and do things your way. Perhaps Jesus was in a similar situation. The Jewish leaders did not like what Jesus was saying and teaching. They saw Him as a threat to their religion and their people. But Jesus tells the people that He came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it. Jesus reiterated that those who follow the commandments faithfully and lead others to do the same are regarded as the greatest in the Kingdom.

Not only did Jesus come to fulfill the law, Jesus was the fulfillment of the law. In one of his poems and hymns, St. Ephrem the Syrian wrote, “Blessed is he who through his cross has flung open Paradise.” It was by Jesus’ Cross, His death and Resurrection that Paradise was opened for us. It was Jesus, His life, His all that fulfilled the law. Jesus, God Himself, the Word made flesh, fulfilled the Law. Jesus was not someone new who came in and said “it’s either my way or the high way,” He was someone who got His hands dirty and worked right alongside everyone else. God became man. He became one of us so that we may be redeemed.

In a similar way, may be approach everyone we meet as Jesus approached the people — humbly, seeking only the good of the other, and leading all to His Father.

Salt of Life

“You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?”

Mt. 5:13a

Salt is universal and its uses are many. It preserves food, enhances flavor, melts snow, and also used as currency. It can also be found inside our bodies! Jesus tells His disciples that they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. How are we salt of the earth? We are to be the salt that brings others to the Truth. Sometimes salt helps bring out the flavor of something, like the sweetness of certain fruits. We ought to be salt that help others see their belovedness, the image and likeness with which they were created. We are not be our own individual salt, adding our own flavor to the salt. We need to be the salt that communicates only Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life, and that leads others to the Father.

Blessed are You

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them.”

Mt. 5:1-2a

What do you think of when you hear “he went up the mountain?” Maybe you never really thought of it before. What do you think of when you hear it now? Maybe a nice hike or a moment of happiness having reached the summit or high point. But today I invite you to think about this in a different light. Jesus went up the mountain. Whenever we hear of or read about mountains we know that something important is going to happen. Mountains are places of encounter between God and His people. Moses went up the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments, the Law, the guidelines by which people follow to walk in ways acceptable to God‘s eyes. Jesus went up to the mountain to teach and to give the Beatitudes. These are not just rules or laws to prevent one from sinning, but rather they go deeper. The Beatitudes are ways by which one can become a saint. They lead us to grow deeper in our relationship with God and with one another. They lead us to heaven.

Each one begins with “blessed.” What does “blessed” mean? Some may say happy, and others joyful. To be blessed does not imply that life will be without its challenges; it does mean that we will be able to go through life knowing that all that happens, good and bad, will bring us closer to God. What are some of the blessings in your life? Every morning I give thanks to God for having another day, for being given a family who loves me, and friends who support me. Have you counted your blessings today?