I have come not to abolish but to fulfill

Whenever God conveyed a message to the Israel- ites, such message began with the word “Hear” or “Listen” (Shema), as is the case in our First Reading.

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This means that the first responsibility of the Israelites was to listen and understand the Lord’s words or commands. By listening with the “ears of the heart,” they were able to discern and practice God’s words in their lives.

Jesus asks the same of his listeners. He did not come to counteract God’s commandments given through Moses. In fact, he gives them a deeper meaning—the true spirit of the Law—which surpasses the interpretations of the scribes and the Pharisees who make obedience to the Law a burden hard to carry, instead of treating it as a privilege given to Israel and not to other nations.