GOSPEL POWER l JUNE 8, 2022 - WEDNESDAY of 10th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Mt 5:17-19 

Jesus said to his disciples, 17“Do not think that I have come to abolish  the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18For  truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not  one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.  19Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments,  and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom  of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called  great in the kingdom of heaven.” 

Obedience is not a restriction on freedom, but rather,  the optimal way of exercising it within the limited  conditions of earthly existence. To know how to obey Godgiven laws is a sign of growth in creaturely maturity, because it entails  the capacity to entrust oneself to the One who holds the master plan  and thus knows best. The expression Kingdom of God is really all  about our relationship of trust and dependence on God, whom Jesus  introduced as Father. True freedom is to choose the Father’s will. As  the inaugurator of God’s Kingdom on earth, Jesus obeys perfectly  to the point of death, thus unmasking the falsity of the world’s  propaganda that equates freedom with pursuing one’s personal  whims and desires. For Jesus, to obey is to love. And a person who  genuinely loves is genuinely free. 

Lord Jesus, help us to grow into loving persons by first learning to obey  God’s will. Amen.