The Gospel For Wednesday, the third week in Lent is taken from St. Matthew, 5th chapter 17:19. Jesus said to his disciples, do not think that I’ve come to abolish the law or the prophets. I’ve come not to abolish, but to fulfill. Amen. I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law until all things have taken place.

Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. The Jews had developed, along with the Ten Commandments, another over 600 regulations and rules. Jesus is not talking about them. He’s talking about the heart of the law and the heart of the message of the prophets. The law is to love God, yourself and others.

And the words of the prophet were always the truth. So all he’s saying is that the kingdom of heaven is going to be based always in what is absolutely true. And when one lives more and more in the truth, one creates this beautiful thing called the kingdom of heaven. Foreign. The Closing Prayer Father, open our hearts to the fullness of who you are as a teacher. Opening our hearts to the most fundamental truths that when we embrace them, understand them, obey them, we find this beautiful place that God has called us to, the kingdom of heaven.

A place where there is peace and unity and joy. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.