To the unstudied eye, St. Matthew's gospel can seem a terse
narrative, almost a historical document and not the tremendously
spiritual (and doctrinal) storehouse that it is. In his third
volume of meditations on Matthew (chapters 19-25), Erasmo
Leiva continues to show Matthew’s prose to be not terse so much
as economical—astoundingly so given its depth. The lay reader
can derive great profit from reading this. Each short meditation
comments on a verse or two, pointing to some facet of the text
not immediately apparent, but rich with meaning.
Leiva’s work is scholarly but eminently approachable by the
lay reader. The tone is very much of “taste and see how good the
Lord is” and an invitation of “friend, come up higher!”. The goal
of the book is to help the reader experience the heat of the divine
heart and the light of the divine Word.
Leiva comments on the Greek text, demonstrating nuances in
the text that defy translation. He uses numerous quotes from the
Fathers and the Liturgy of the Church to demonstrate the way
the Tradition has lived and read the Word of God. His theological
reflection vivifies doctrine by seeking its roots in the words
and actions of Jesus.