The law and the prophets were essential to the way the Israelites were called to practice their faith and to live their lives. The law and the prophets help pave the way for Jesus, the coming of the Messiah. Jesus very emphatically explained to the people of Israel that rather than coming to abolish the law and the prophets, he came into the world to bring the message of the law and the prophets to their fulfillment. When we think about our civil laws in our own country, their foundation is found in English common law. An important document in the history of English law is the Magna Carta, a charter agreed to by King John of England on June 15, 1215, so its anniversary takes place tomorrow. This charter was first drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury in an attempt to make peace between King John, who was a very unpopular king, and the barons and the aristocracy of the land. The Magna Carta, seen as the first English bill of right, a precursor to the bill of rights that we have in the United States, promised to protect the rights of the Church, to protect against illegal imprisonment, to be accorded justice when accused of a crime, and to limit the feudal payments made to the King and the government. A passage from the Magna Carta states: “To none will we sell, to none deny or delay, right or justice.” With our Gospel passage today and with the anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta, this an opportune time for us to reflect upon the ways in which we practice justice and respect the rights of others.
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