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An Enduring Performative Word



#DAYLIGHT – Daily #MenOfLight #GospelReflection
March 18, 2020
Wednesday, of the Third Week of Lent
Gospel: Mt 5: 17 - 19
Sharer: Bro. Mike Lapid

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Gospel
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For 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. 19 Therefore, 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.
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Reflection

AN ENDURING PERFORMATIVE WORD
In today’s reading, we hear Jesus offering a kind of defense for himself against the accusations that a number of religious leaders have hurled against him. These leaders have accused him of wanting to abolish the “law or the prophets.” At that time, the bible, as it was then known, was referred to as the “law and the prophets.” Today, we call this portion of the bible, the Old Testament, since at the time of Jesus, what we now know as the New Testament, hasn’t been written yet.
The accusation that Jesus wanted to abolish the law or the prophets was a serious one. It meant that Jesus completely disregarded the word of God. Jesus, however, tells his accusers the contrary, saying that he has not come to abolish the law or the prophets but to fulfill it. Jesus, further affirms the importance of the law and the prophets, speaking about its permanence and indestructibility; that heaven and earth will pass away but not a single letter of God’s word shall pass until all of it has been fulfilled.
By highlighting the permanence of God’s word and its gradual fulfillment in time, Jesus affirms both the lasting character of God’s words and its performative quality. God’s performative word means that it will accomplish what it says it will do in time. Ultimately, therefore, God’s word shapes everything in the universe, beginning from the created world down to the very heart and soul of every living thing, including our own. In the bible we see God’s word shaping the universe from the time of creation (as seen in Genesis) and leading it to its final moments (as we see in the book of Revelation). Similarly, God’s word shapes our life and destiny from the time we are born to the day we die. It too, will shape our eternity, when finally, we are re-united with Jesus in that kingdom that knows no end.
For us Catholics, our encounter with God’s word rests mainly in two ways: in the written word and in the person of Jesus. The written word of God, or what we call Sacred Scriptures, is God’s word written in human language. Every time we open and read the bible, we find there God’s word directed to each of us. A daily reading of the bible nourishes and shapes our minds and hearts to the ways of the Lord.
But all of God’s word can be summed up in the person of Jesus. In Jesus, we not only hear God speaking; in him, we see God face to face; in him, we touch God in a most personal way because in him, God has acquired a human face. In the celebration of the Mass, especially in the Holy Eucharist, we encounter Jesus in person. There, we encounter him as one who suffered, died and rose for us as a sure sign of God’s love and mercy. Daily we touch him, daily we feel his presence in our midst, and daily we receive the strength to live our lives fully even in the midst of difficulties, knowing that in him, we are never alone in our struggles. And because Jesus came to fulfill the law, he will accomplish in us more than what we ask and hope for, for we know that he will bring to completion God’s plan for all of us in the end. 
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Prayer
Dear Lord, open my ears so I may listen to your eternal words. Open my eyes so I may see Jesus, your word, fulfilling your word in in our midst. Amen.
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Assignment
1.    Take time to read even a short passage from the bible. Reflect upon what you have read. Then pray to the Lord in response to what you’ve read and reflected upon. 
2.    Take time to visit Jesus in the blessed Sacrament. If this is not possible, take a picture or image of Jesus and press it on your chest. Silently, without even saying anything, feel his presence even for a while.
#WordofGod  #PerformativeWordofGod
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Quote
  “Jesus is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine.”   -- Eph 3: 20











































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