March
2, 2016
Wednesday
of the Third Week of Lent
Saint
of the Day: Saint Simplicius, pope (+483)
Reading 1
1Moses
spoke to the people and said: “Now,
Israel, hear the statutes and decrees
which
I am teaching you to observe, that
you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which
the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
5Therefore,
I teach you the statutes and decrees as
the LORD, my God, has commanded me, that
you may observe them in the land you are entering to occupy. 6Observe
them carefully, for
thus will you give evidence of
your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who
will hear of all these statutes and say, ‘This
great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’
7For
what great nation is there that
has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us whenever
we call upon Him? 8Or
what great nation has statutes and decrees that
are as just as this whole law which
I am setting before you today?
9“However,
take care and be earnestly on your guard not
to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor
let them slip from your memory as long as you live,
but
teach them to your children and to your children’s children.”
Responsorial Psalm
12Glorify
the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise
your God, O Zion. 13For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He
has blessed your children within you.
R.
Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
15He
sends forth His command to the earth; swiftly
runs His word! 16He
spreads snow like wool; frost He strews like ashes.
R.
Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
19He
has proclaimed His word to Jacob, His
statutes and His ordinances to Israel.
20He
has not done thus for any other nation; His
ordinances He has not made known to them.
R.
Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
Verse
Before The Gospel see John 6:63c, 68c
Your
words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you
have the words of everlasting life.
Gospel
17Jesus 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.[1]
18Amen,
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.
19Therefore,
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.”[2]
Notes on Readings:
[1] Matthew 5:17-20 - This statement of Jesus' position concerning the Mosaic law is composed of traditional material from Matthew's sermon documentation (see the note on Matthew 5:1 - 7:29), other Q material (compare with Matthew 18; Luke 16:17), and the evangelist's own editorial touches. To fulfill the law appears at first to mean a literal enforcement of the law in the least detail: until heaven and earth pass away nothing of the law will pass (Matthew 5:18). Yet the "passing away" of heaven and earth is not necessarily the end of the world understood, as in much apocalyptic literature, as the dissolution of the existing universe. The "turning of the ages" comes with the apocalyptic event of Jesus' death and resurrection, and those to whom this gospel is addressed are living in the new and final age, prophesied by Isaiah as the time of "new heavens and a new earth" (Isaiah 65:17; 66:22). Meanwhile, during Jesus' ministry when the kingdom is already breaking in, his mission remains within the framework of the law, though with significant anticipation of the age to come, as the following antitheses (Matthew 5:21-48) show.
[1] Matthew 5:17-20 - This statement of Jesus' position concerning the Mosaic law is composed of traditional material from Matthew's sermon documentation (see the note on Matthew 5:1 - 7:29), other Q material (compare with Matthew 18; Luke 16:17), and the evangelist's own editorial touches. To fulfill the law appears at first to mean a literal enforcement of the law in the least detail: until heaven and earth pass away nothing of the law will pass (Matthew 5:18). Yet the "passing away" of heaven and earth is not necessarily the end of the world understood, as in much apocalyptic literature, as the dissolution of the existing universe. The "turning of the ages" comes with the apocalyptic event of Jesus' death and resurrection, and those to whom this gospel is addressed are living in the new and final age, prophesied by Isaiah as the time of "new heavens and a new earth" (Isaiah 65:17; 66:22). Meanwhile, during Jesus' ministry when the kingdom is already breaking in, his mission remains within the framework of the law, though with significant anticipation of the age to come, as the following antitheses (Matthew 5:21-48) show.
[2] Matthew 5:19 - Probably these commandments means
those of the Mosaic law. But this is an interim ethic "until heaven and earth pass away."
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Dear Humanity,
I personally encourage everyone to emulate JESUS' values on LOVE, FAITH, HOPE
and CHARITY, as the humanity has been a failure; which resulted to the more than two (2) years of pandemic and its after-effects on economy, not only here in the Philippines but worldwide.
And the saddest part of it, is that, it affected the POOREST of the POOR to even extremely be more poorer, in exchange of the affluent to be more richer.
Thank you and may GOD bless you and the whole family to have an enjoyed life's journey at home, Church, schools/universities, corporate commitments, public and places of interest.