During this season of Lent, I will be working through Bishop Robert Barron’s Lenten Gospel Reflections (available through Word on Fire). Each day, I will share the readings and the reflection question, followed by my own thoughts.
March 23, 2022
Jesus said to His disciples,
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. 18 For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
The Holy Bible (Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition, Mt 5:17–19). (2006). Ignatius Press.
What are your hopes, dreams, and longings? How does Jesus fulfill them?
The notes in the Ignatius Study Bible say that the word translated “fulfill” in Matthew 17:17 means “to make complete.” Christ came not for the cessation of the law and the message of the prophets; rather, His teachings brought them to completion. His death superseded any animal sacrifice; thus, no further sacrifices of blood were needed, bringing the ceremonial law to fulfillment. The moral laws were not abolished by His teachings; rather, He developed them further, showing us that love of God and man is at the heart of every commandment (Matthew 22:40), and commanding us to practice this love (1 John 3:23). As for the message of the prophets – their message was intended to point to the Incarnation (John 5:39); thus, Christ’s ministry brings to fruition that which the prophets had foretold.
In the same way, Christ’s presence in our lives does not abolish our hopes, dreams, and longings. Our every act is ordered toward what we believe to be The Good. This is not to say that the actions are morally good – after all, aren’t murder, robbery, lies, and rape all decidedly not good? – but rather this is to say that a person who commits any action, whether morally good or bad, does so because he believes that it will bring him happiness. But God’s presence in our lives causes a change in our priorities. Ultimately, our priority is still happiness; however, we can through His grace recognize that lasting happiness can only be found in Him. Our ultimate happiness will be realized as we behold God as He is, seeing the light by the Light (Psalm 36:9). Thus our hopes, dreams, and longings focused on this temporal plane (the goods we might acquire, the experiences that we might enjoy, the power that we might wield) are properly focused on eternity as our end (the good that we might do, the experiences of God’s love that we might share, the responsibilities that we are given in our roles).
So as Christ came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it, He also comes into our lives not to abolish our hopes and dreams, but to sanctify and fulfill them.
Lord, let me be open to Your guidance; lead me to Your heart. Let me follow not my selfish desires, but Your perfect will.
Steven Mills 