4th Sunday of Lent Laetare Sunday

30/3/2025

As we move deeper into Lent, Jesus faces a fundamental misunderstanding about his mission. "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets," he declares, challenging those who might hastily dismiss biblical tradition as obsolete. Jesus’ words carry a deeper invitation, to not rigidly enforce the rules, but to understand their desire to transform our hearts.

We can too easily use scripture as a tool to judge people rather than a pathway of grace. Jesus did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfil it; to reveal that its ultimate purpose was to foster love, mercy and reconciliation. The law was never meant to be a burden, but a guide towards deeper communion with God and one another.

Jesus warns us that "anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven." And counsels us to approach scripture with humility and recognise that every word carries weight and significance.

Do not treat this warning as a legal obligation but as a desire to transform our hearts. The law finds its truest expression not in rigid adherence, but in understanding its spirit of compassion, justice, and radical love that transcends mere external observance.

The question is: Are we willing to see beyond the letter of the law and embrace its transformative spirit?

by Fr. Thomas O'BRIEN a.a