St. Augustine Catholic Church     314-385-1934

With these you shall be my people and I will be your God…

Blessed are you Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

You have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.

 

After the fall of Man, it is still the will of God to love Man to the end.  He, therefore, gave them a rule of law called “The Ten Commandments and said, “With these you shall be my people and I will be your God, (Genesis 17:7) and the people said, “All you said we will do.”

Jesus Christ in his teaching also re-echoed these laws or Commandments in his own teaching and said, “You will love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul, your whole mind and your whole strength and love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Mark 12:30-31).  To keep these laws is the only proof and way we love our God and are ready to do his will and to break them will attract punishment.

The teaching of our Lord, Jesus Christ, directed that it’s not just the observance of these laws, only externally as they are written in the biblical text or religious books, but also all the infringements that surround them.  He said, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Scribes and Pharisees (they observed these laws more externally), you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  Interpreting them, Jesus said, “to kill is bad, but to be angry with your brother is wrong as well.  To commit adultery is evil, but even to lust after a woman or man is equally sinful. To divorce is evil, at the same time, to marry one divorced is wrong as well.  To swear is bad, rather, it is better that your words be yes or no, anything more than that is from the evil one.”  Therefore, he said, “if a part of your body causes you to sin, it’s better for you to cut it off (not physically, of course), but rather apply restraint to it.  For it is better for you to enter heaven without them than have them and enter Gehenna (Hell).“  These are the reasons why the Christian life is difficult and challenging but is possible through the grace of God.  This is what the saints and holy people did and attained heaven.  Did St. Paul not say it, “I can do all things in Him who strengthened me.” (Philippians 4:1).  Amen.

 

Father Chris

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