You Have Heard...
Jesus above the Law
Dear Friends,
This weekend's Gospel passage makes me think of Jacob Neusner's A Rabbi Talks to Jesus.
Neusner, an American scholar of Judaism, says that Jesus' teaching is intolerable. As soon as Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said... but I say to you...," no faithful Jew can follow him.
Why's that? Because Jesus is placing himself above Torah. He's asserting authority over the Law, which puts him on a level with God!
We who know Jesus to be God incarnate (God in the flesh!) are not surprised by that assertion. Jesus is not one religious leader among many. Precisely because he is God-as-man, Jesus reveals to us what God intended by his Law, and what it means to live it out.
Jesus is the truly human being, the reality to which the Law pointed as a signpost; he shares his life with his followers, teaching them how to live it; in his death he defeats the powers that prevent us from living truly human lives; and by the sending of his Spirit he gives us what we need (his life at work in us, transmitted to us by prayer and sacrament) to trust and follow him along the fully human path of self-giving love.
The Gospel readings from our morning Masses this past week had us hooked on this same theme. If you're up for the challenge, take a listen to Wednesday's homily. It's a scorcher. Try Thursday and Friday as well if you have a chance.
I'm leaving later today for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, In the Footsteps of Jesus. I'm excited for the trip not only to see and feel the places Jesus lived and proclaimed - in word and work - the coming of God's Kingdom, but also because I get to bring you with me in prayer. Please pray for me, too.
In the Peace of Christ,
Father Daniel
δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ
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Preparing for Mass?
Check out this weekend's readings:
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
