Reflection on September 3, 1980

https://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/jp2tb37.htm

When Christ says “but I say to you”, it sounds like a abolishing of all the previous laws. I think many see it that way and do not give the Old Testament its proper due. But you must look at this in the context of all that Christ said, including the fact that He said He did not come to change a single letter of the law. It is hard on the other hand to understand how to fit the Old Testament with the new when looking at marriage when JPII has already discussed how Israel viewed marriage. He talks about making adultery not just a sin of the body (as Israel would see it), but more importantly a sin of the heart, as Christ preached against it. We see, like before, that JPII appears to repeat the lessons learned over and over to make sure they are understood, this lesson of the importance of the heart’s sin in adultery and the affect on our human understanding and experience.

This “shift” to the heart that Christ preaches was not completely new. JPII shows that it is found in the Wisdom books and in reading the Old Testament over the 4 year reflections, you see it enough to notice it. It stands out because we remember Christ saying it and the way He said it to the Jews, it makes you think they had never heard it before. But they had. All of the Jews knew the readings, they knew what the prophets said, they knew what they were supposed to do, but they followed a law written to cater to their “hardness of heart”. When you think about the prophets preaching the same thing as Christ and being ignored and worse, it made me think very quickly to the parable of the Vineyard owner. He sent servants to the workers of the vineyards, the vineyard care takers, asking for what was due. They treated them harshly, beating or killing them. So, he sends his son. He thinks his son will be treated differently, his son will have more authority, his son will be listened to. The son says the same things as the servants and Christ is only repeating (fulfilling) what the prophets have already said.

Words I looked up.

Polemics - the branch of theology dealing with the history or conduct of ecclesiastical disputation and controversy.

Pedagogical - the art or science of teaching; education; instructional methods.