In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus presents God’s Law, given on Sinai, in the light of the grace of the New Covenant. As Israel’s Messiah, he alone fulfils the Law perfectly, keeping it in all its detail and bringing its meaning to completion. Jesus teaches that the Law is not only a matter of outward observance, but of its letter and spirit, and he reveals that what comes from the human heart can defile a person. With divine authority, he gives the Law its ultimate interpretation and rejects human traditions that make void God’s word. In family prayer, we can look to Jesus as the one who faithfully brings forth justice, fulfils the Law for sinners, and shows that serving God and neighbour does not violate the sabbath rest.
In these paragraphs, we see Jesus’ profound respect for the Temple in Jerusalem, where he was presented as an infant, remained at age twelve to be about his Father’s business, and went for the great feasts. He honored the Temple as the dwelling of his Father and a house of prayer, showing zeal when its outer court became a place of commerce. Jesus also taught there, paid the Temple tax, and identified himself as God’s definitive dwelling-place among men. His prophecy that the Temple would be destroyed pointed to the beginning of a new age in salvation history, when worship of the Father would not be limited to Jerusalem or a particular mountain. For Catholic families, these passages invite reverence for places set apart for prayer and attention to Jesus, who leads us into worship of the Father.
In the Church, Christ fulfills his prophetic office not only through the hierarchy but also through the laity, whom he establishes as witnesses and equips with the sense of faith and the grace of the word. Lay people share in evangelization by proclaiming Christ in word and by the testimony of their lives, especially in the ordinary circumstances of the world. Those who are capable and trained may collaborate in catechetical formation, teaching, and the use of communications media. According to their knowledge, competence, and standing, lay people have the right—and at times the duty—to share with pastors their views on matters concerning the good of the Church, with respect for faith, morals, pastors, the common good, and the dignity of persons. Through holy living and self-denial, they are called to overcome sin, and by working together they can help shape social conditions and human culture according to justice and virtue. In every temporal responsibility, the faithful are to be guided by a Christian conscience, remembering that all human activity belongs under God’s dominion.