Moses is one of the main figures from the Old Testament. He is a key figure in the Jewish faith. In fact, when we heard of the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountaintop in our Gospel reading for the second Sunday of Lent, Moses and Elijah the prophet were the two figures who appeared with Jesus.
Moses gives the people God’s laws and commandments and he tells them that they must be careful to observe these laws because they come directly from God. Our reading from Deuteronomy today reminds us of the importance that God and his law are to have in our daily lives. God's law is central to the Gospel message today as well. Jesus states that he came to complete and fulfill the laws given to us by Moses and that these laws are to be obeyed. There were probably some in Ancient Israel who hoped that Jesus had come to abolish these laws. Jesus places importance in living in the spirit of the law, not just the mere letter of the law. While this is very challenging to do, it is infinitely pleasing to God.
We don’t hear people talking about God’s laws very much in today’s modern secular world, do we? We hear a lot about secular justice, about what is the politically expedient or politically correct, about not wanting to offend anyone, about not limiting someone’s freedom to do what he wants to do in life. We want to do what feels good or what is convenient. But we don’t hear a lot about the content of God’s law, of what he is demanding that we do.
We have seen a lot of people come back to the Catholic Church in the past few weeks during the season of Lent, beginning with our Ash Wednesday liturgies. We have had good attendance for the stations of the cross. We have had people ask about the sacrament of reconciliation. Especially with the challenges we have faced these past two years with the pandemic, perhaps there is a renewed interest in the faith and in God’s laws and commandments. I certainly hope so.
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