Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

You are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people acquired by God
to proclaim his marvellous works.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

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. In truth I tell you, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, is to disappear from the Law until all its purpose is achieved. Therefore, anyone 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 person who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of Heaven.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

You will be holy,
because I am holy, thus says the Lord.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The newness of the Gospel is not at the level of a break with the Biblical tradition of the First Testament. On the contrary, Jesus clearly affirms that he has come to bring to fulfilment the covenant that God established with his people and that finds in the Law and the Prophets its codification. The entire history of love that God has woven with his people from Abraham to the Baptist finds its climax, its true fulfilment, in Jesus. The love that made God come down from heaven to free his people from the slavery of Egypt, that drove the Lord to accompany Israel on the long journey in the desert and through all the following centuries, now finds its fulfilment in Jesus. In each word of Scriptures there is a spark of God. This is why it should not be lost. And every time that it is lost, this spark is also lost. This is why Jesus says, "Until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law." The recommendation of Francis of Assisi to his friars comes to mind, when he said to pick up any small piece of parchment on the ground as "It could contain some words of the Gospel." And Jesus adds, "Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, ... will be called least in the kingdom of heaven." Jesus demands that all Scripture be accepted and become light for believers. The disciple, following the master, must also bring to fulfilment in daily life what is written in the Scriptures. And the heart of the biblical pages, the thread that binds them all, we can summarise in the exhortation Jesus makes at the end of the discourse: "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." And perfection is love.