18 March 2020 - Wednesday of the third week of Lent - Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9

We hear in the first reading Moses giving the people of Israel instructions and decrees from God.  In the Jewish, observing God’s law is of utmost importance.  Much of the Old Testament centers on God’s laws for the people to follow.  Those laws dictated their right conduct in living their lives.  As an accountant and as a priest, I too have been conditioned to be a rule follower.  And that is part of my role as Vicar General in our Diocese as well.  For the Jewish people, who cannot see God and who cannot speak his name, the law is an intermediary for them.  Following God’s law is both a way of seeing God and obeying him.  Jesus, in the today’s Gospel, declares that he has not come to abolish the law, but rather to fulfill it.  In this surreal time we are living in today, following rules and directives to keep safe and to keep others safe is important.  We in the Diocese were speaking to an infectious disease doctor today to get her advice.  

May the Lord open our hearts and our minds to his law.  May we observe the laws that God his written upon our hearts.  May God’s law permeate our words and our actions.