First Reading: (1 Kings 18:20-39)

Ahab sent to all the people of Israel, and gathered the
prophets together at Mount Carmel. And Elijah
came near to all the people, and said, “How
long will you go limping with two different
opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but
if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did
not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the
people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the
Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and
fifty men. Let two bulls be given to us; and let
them choose one bull for themselves, and cut
it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no
fire to it; and I will prepare the other bull and
lay it on the wood, and put no fire to it. And
you call on the name of your god and I will call
on the name of the Lord; and the God who
answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people
answered, “It is well spoken.” Then Elijah said
to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves
one bull and prepare it first, for you are many;
and call on the name of your god, but put no
fire to it.” And they took the bull which was
given them, and they prepared it, and called
on the name of Baal from morning until noon,
saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no
voice, and no one answered. And they limped
about the altar which they had made. And at
noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud,
for he is a god; either he is musing, or he has
gone aside, or he is on a journey, or perhaps
he is asleep and must be awakened.” And they
cried aloud, and cut themselves after their
custom with swords and lances, until the blood
gushed out upon them. And as midday passed,
they raved on until the time of the offering of
the oblation, but there was no voice; no one
answered, no one heeded. Then Elijah said to
all the people, “Come near to me”; and all the
people came near to him. And he repaired the
altar of the Lord that had been thrown down;
Elijah took twelve stones, according to the
number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to
whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel
shall be your name”; and with the stones
he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And
he made a trench about the altar, as great as
would contain two measures of seed. And
he put the wood in order, and cut the bull in
pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill
four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt
offering, and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it
a second time”; and they did it a second time.
And he said, “Do it a third time”; and they did it
a third time. And the water ran round about the
altar, and filled the trench also with water. And
at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah
the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God
of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known
this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I
am thy servant, and that I have done all these
things at thy word. Answer me, O Lord, answer
me, that this people may know that thou, O
Lord, art God, and that thou hast turned their
hearts back.” Then the fire of the Lord fell, and
consumed the burnt offering, and the wood,
and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the
water that was in the trench. And when all the
people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they
said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”

Ps 15:1-2, 4-5, 8, 11
R./ Preserve me, God, I take refuge
in you.

Gospel: (Mt 5:17-19)

Jesus said to his disciples,
“Think not that I have come to abolish the law
and the prophets; I have come not to abolish
them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you,
till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not
a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.
Whoever then relaxes one of the least
of these commandments and teaches men so,
shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven;
but he who does them and teaches them shall
be called great in the kingdom of heaven.



Reflection:

For the Jews the Law given by Moses was the most sacred thing in the
religious observance. The first five books of the Hebrew Bible together is called the “Torah”, or Book of Law. Every observant Jew was to memorize these books and was to practise them. The “Shema” prayer found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 instructed the Jews to bind a scroll of the law on their hand and forehead. The fervent Jews fulfilled this instruction literally. Jesus as a Jew practised the Mosaic Law. His parents presented him in the Temple at the age of 12. He participated in the Synagogue worship as a faithful Jew. While presenting Jesus as the observant Jew, Mathew wants to prove to the Jewish people that Christianity is not a heretical religion but the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies. True purification of religion comes not from rebellion or protest, but by adherence to its practises and purifying it from within.