Daily Inspiration

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have 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.” —Matthew 5:17-19

Vocal prayer is most familiar to us, where we speak to God with words, but today I’m encouraging you to spend some time this week in meditative prayer. Jesus fulfills so many Old Testament stories, bringing them to divine completion. I’ll give you a couple that jumped out at me upon reading this passage.

God commanded Moses to have the people of Israel make a sacrifice of the Pascal Lamb, to cover their homes in its blood, and to eat its flesh, to save them from the Angel of Death. In His Passion, during Passover, Jesus becomes the Pascal Lamb for the whole world. Beforehand, He commands the world to eat His flesh if they are to have life in them, and it is for this reason we ask to be covered in His blood.

The context of today’s passage is the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus ascended a mountain to give the Law. After the Exodus, Moses ascended a mountain to receive God’s Law. But in this passage, God Himself ascends the mountain to give the Law to all the people. Meditate on other times where Jesus fulfilled an Old Testament passage, and feel free to share them with me or someone you meet along the way.

Watch today’s saint of the day video