Episode Transcript
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In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself
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and guided His people
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through the Law and the Prophets.
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The Law began with the Ten Commandments
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given to Moses on Mount Sinai,
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which later expanded into 613 precepts
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in Jewish tradition.
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Just as Moses ascended Mount Sinai
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to receive God's commandment,
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Jesus ascended the Mount of the Beatitudes
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to give the New Law, the Sermon on the Mount.
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In today's gospel, Jesus says,
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"Do not think that I have come
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to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
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I have come not to abolish but to fulfill."
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To "fulfill" means not to replace or cancel,
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but to bring the Law to its full meaning,
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to reveal its true purpose.
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The Gospel of Matthew, written for Jewish Christians,
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shows how Jesus completed
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what began in the Old Covenant.
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While the rabbis, especially the Pharisees,
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focused on strict external observance,
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Jesus invited his followers to a deeper interior righteousness,
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one that transforms the heart.
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He began His teaching with the Beatitudes,
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not as a list of prohibitions
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but as a vision of what we are called to become:
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peacemakers, merciful, pure in heart
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and hungry for righteousness.
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Through His words and example,
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Jesus showed that holiness is not just about keeping rules
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but about living with integrity, compassion, and love.
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People may see our actions, but God looks at our hearts.
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Obedience without love becomes hypocrisy,
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a mistake that Jesus frequently condemned.
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He did not abolish the Ten Commandments,
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rather, He perfected them,
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calling us to move from simple duty to love,
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from law to grace,
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from outward compliance to inner conversion.
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The greatest commandments,
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love of God and love of neighbor,
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summarize the whole Law.
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The Law, rightly understood,
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leads us to love God and neighbor,
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the two greatest commandments.
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Jesus illustrated this by saying,
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"You have heard it said, 'Do not kill,
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but I tell you, do not even be angry."
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Hatred is the root of violence
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and unforgiveness destroys love.
