In the Gospel selection for this Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear Jesus tell 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 form 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. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5: 17-20).
“Commandments” or “laws” refer not just to the Hebrew “10 Commandments,” but to the many Christian commandments that Jesus gave us, such as the command to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry, care for the sick, console the sorrowful, forgive our enemies, and many more.
The photo above is a tower in the church of Our Lady of Candelaria in the pueblo of Curarén, largest of the five municipalities of our parish of San Francisco de Asís, Reitoca.