“Of all divine things, the most godlike is to cooperate with God in the conversion of sinners.”
READ: MATTHEW 5:17–19
“Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.”
YOUR THREE-STEP GUIDE TO DAILY MENTAL PRAYER
REFLECT
If any of Christ’s other claims to ultimate authority leave room for doubt, the one He makes here removes it completely. The Jews are aware that they are God’s Chosen People. Their individual and national identities stem from this acute awareness. They trace the origin of their uniqueness to the covenant God made with Moses: when God freed the ancient Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, He established them as the Chosen People, and through Moses, He gave them the Law as a kind of identification card. The Law of Moses, then, was the mark of God’s unique relationship with the Jewish people. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus claims to bring that Law to its fulfillment. In other words, He asserts Himself to be higher than the Law and therefore able to explain the full meaning behind it — a meaning that the Jewish people had previously failed to apprehend. If Christ puts Himself above the Law, and the Law is God’s own message to Israel, then clearly Jesus Christ is claiming to have divine authority. Anyone who says otherwise has not understood the Gospel or is trying to falsify it. Our Lord is also our God.
RESPOND
When I look into the bottom of my heart, Lord, I am not sure if I have really accepted my vocation to be a saint. Sometimes I think it’s good enough just to be pretty good. It’s not that I doubt your ability to make me into a saint, it’s just that I doubt myself. Such idle fears! You created me for this, for this great mission, for this great love. And it’s the only thing that matters. Lord Jesus, make me holy, and by my holiness may others open their hearts to You and the truth of who You are.
REST
When I consider my Christian responsibility to build up the Church, some aspects of that responsibility make me enthusiastic, as with any project that friends take on together, and some leave me cold, as with duties impersonally imposed from the outside. Why is this?
RESOLVE
How can I carry this encounter with me into the day? (Write / Journal)
CLOSING PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Most Blessed and Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thank You for Your love and Your grace in allowing me this time of prayer with You.
The world, the flesh, and the devil will all propose things I should focus on and run after today. I beg You to fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me instead to know and embrace Your will. Help me to see what You desire of me each moment of this day. Give me the wisdom, strength, and fortitude I need to avoid distractions, discern Your will, and focus on and carry out that which Wisdom reveals. Help me to work and live at a pace of peace and prayerfulness, always attentive to You, able to hear Your voice and to say no to anything that hinders my journey to You and a complete yes to every Holy prompting from You.
Help me to humbly and purposefully live, light, and lead others to the path of union with You and to tell everyone about this way of life. Amen.
About the Author
Fr. John Bartunek was ordained in 2003. He has taught moral theology at various ecclesiastical institutions at the graduate and undergraduate levels, and has authored many books, including the Gospel companion, The Better Part, and Inside the Passion, the only authorized behind-the-scenes look at the film, for which he provided on-set spiritual support. His online retreat guides are available in multiple formats at RCSpirituality.org. Fr. John currently resides in Atlanta, where he is serving as territorial vicar for the Legionaries of Christ.
