Wednesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
June 14, 2023
Today’s Readings:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061423.cfm
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy, both Paul and Jesus work to open the minds of their listeners to the wonder and mystery of Jesus Christ and his Gospel.
Paul tells the Corinthians that the old law did not bring life. In other words, it was a set of laws, precriptions, and memories. The old law was only letters. The New Law gives life through the living Spirit of God into Whom we have been baptized.
Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, was so glorious
2 corinthians 3:7-9
that the children of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses
because of its glory that was going to fade,
how much more will the ministry of the Spirit be glorious?
For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious,
the ministry of righteousness will abound much more in glory.
Jesus talks about the old law too. He assures his listeners that he has not come to abolish it, but to fulfill it.
Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
Matthew 5: 17-18
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.
I’m sure you’ve spent a few Easters opening plastic eggs with the kids in the family. Early on Easter morning, the eggs look so pretty sparkling undisturbed in their tiny baskets. But they can’t stay like that because the real treasure is inside – candy, coins or other little joy-giving gifts.
The Old Law was like those eggs, beautiful and perfect for its time, but existing for the sake of what would follow. With each Gospel teaching and act of his life, Jesus breaks open the Old to fulfill God’s promise and reveal the life-giving New.
Once again, Matthew paints a picture of Jesus as God’s Promise fulfilled. In each of our lives, that fulfillment continues as we grow in our love for and commitment to the Gospel.. May we “break open a few eggs”, and deepen in grateful awareness and understanding.
Poetry: Breakage – Mary Oliver
I go down to the edge of the sea. How everything shines in the morning light! The cusp of the whelk, the broken cupboard of the clam, the opened, blue mussels, moon snails, pale pink and barnacle scarred— and nothing at all whole or shut, but tattered, split, dropped by the gulls onto the gray rocks and all the moisture gone. It's like a schoolhouse of little words, thousands of words. First you figure out what each one means by itself, the jingle, the periwinkle, the scallop full of moonlight. Then you begin, slowly, to read the whole story.
Music: Morning Has Broken – Cat Stevens
Lavish Mercy 