Mt 5:17-19
Do not think that I have come to annul the law and the prophets. I have not come to annul them, but to fulfill them. I tell you this: as long as heaven and earth last, not the smallest letter or dot in the law will change, until all is fulfilled.
So then, whoever breaks the least important of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be the least in the kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, whoever obeys them, and teaches others to do the same, will be great in the kingdom of heaven.
REFLECTION
Some people are indecisive by nature. They are afraid to make a choice. They always try to hedge their bets, to straddle the fence, to have their cake and eat it. They cannot take a firm stand on anything and risk their all.
At the time of the prophet Elijah (9th century B.C.), the people of Israel worshipped both Yahweh, the only true God, and the false pagan god Baal. This was, of course, contrary to God’s will as clearly stated in the First Commandment (Ex 20:3). That is why Elijah, the only prophet of Yahweh left in Israel in competition with 450 prophets of Baal, remonstrates with the people: “How long will you follow two ways at the same time?” And the dramatic scene that follows shows him scoring a public victory in favor of the one true God.
Faced with demands as exacting as those of the Catholic Church (no divorce, no abortion, no vengeance, no lies, etc.), a lot of us are tempted to choose among those demands. But in today’s gospel reading Jesus warns us: “Whoever breaks the least important of these commandments… will be the least in the kingdom of heaven.”
With God, no compromise is possible.
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