3/15/2023 (Wednesday) Today’s gospel reading: Matthew 5:17-19
Jesus said to his disciples:
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
18 Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.
19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”
3/15/2023 (Wednesday) Today’s gospel reflection: Matthew 5:17-19
An obedient child is a joy to his or her parents. On the other hand, a notorious disobedient boy or girl gives heartache to his or her father and mother. Jesus has taught us that God is our Father who is all good and merciful. Think about how He mourns the loss of His children because of their disobedience!
Many times or rather every time we commit sin because we disobey God by not following His commandments. Worse, we teach or bring others to commit sin with us. Take for example, gossiping. We don’t gossip by ourselves. When we start to tell bad stories about other people, we are in fact allowing or encouraging others to join us in committing the sin of gossiping.
Jesus is the Son of God, the obedient Son who gave up the privileges that was His. Saint Paul says, He “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7) in order to be sent to us and for us. That is obedience and because He was obedient to His Father, He was given back the glory that was His in the beginning.
Jesus is teaching us to obey the commandments and to teach others to do the same. Then we shall be called the greatest in His Kingdom.