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Gospel Reading for March 26, 2025 – Matthew 5: 17-19
PRIDE
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 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. 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.”
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Why would the Son of God abolish the commandments that his Father gave to Moses? He just had to make the Jews understand the deeper meaning of the commandments which became so complicated because the Jews multiplied them, making them 613 in all, including only the first 2 commandments that were considered as being heard directly from God. How can the Jews even remember all the 613? Only the scribes and Pharisees took it upon themselves to memorize and interpret them, that’s why Jesus described them as – “And they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as their finger.” (Matthew 23: 4)
Because of this, they accused Jesus of breaking the law – healing on a Sabbath, not washing hands before the meal, picking grain on a Sabbath, and so on and so forth. They did everything to find fault in him and his disciples, but the crux of the matter was their PRIDE. Knowing the Mosaic Law and interpreting it made them feel they were above everyone else. By explaining the Law, Jesus struck a nerve, making them hate him and made them plan his execution.
This is not just about the scribes and Pharisees, it is about us too. We may know so much and preach very well about the teachings of Jesus and of the Church, we may be the best homilist, best theologian, best catechist, etc., but if we are like the scribes and Pharisees, we too will be branded by Jesus as “hypocrites.” No one can be proud of being a hypocrite.
Lord, may your commandments be etched in our hearts!
