LAWS OF LOVE

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.” – Matthew 5:17

I would often see my four-year- old student’s hand raised to slap or punch during free play. Each time, I would dash to him and ask, “We always use our?” and shake my hands for clue. He would then answer, “Gentle hands.” It was effective. But some students would take this rule literally by “gently” pushing or “gently” punching. Well, they used gentle hands, didn’t they? So I’d tell them, “We don’t want to hurt anyone. That’s what the rule is for.”

Like my students, the Israelites misunderstood rules too; hence, the Great Teacher came to clarify things. For the Israelites, a sinner such as an adulterer should be stoned to death. But Jesus said that the sinless should cast the first stone. For the Israelites, a person has killed when he or she takes a life. But Jesus said that when you hate your brother, you are killing him in your heart.

Jesus came to fulfill the laws, not abolish them. He might have wanted the Israelites to ask themselves what the rules were for. And like me, He probably hoped for them to realize that it was all for love. Elaine Marie R. Factor (elainemariefactor@gmail.com)

 

St. Lazarus, pray for us.

We need to uphold the values integral to a Christian way of life, especially when in our relationships with people who do not know the Lord, in order to share the Gospel with them. It is the values of the Gospel that pass judgment on the cultures of the world. Let us affirm the values of a culture that follow the Gospel and reject those that are not.

Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9

1 Moses spoke to the people and said: “Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 5 Therefore, I teach you the statutes and decrees as the Lord, my God, has commanded me, that you may observe them in the land you are entering to occupy. 6 Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, ‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’ 7 For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? 8 Or what great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today? 9 However, take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children’s children.”

Psalm 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20

R: Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

12 Glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion. 13 For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; he has blessed your children within you. (R) 15 He sends forth his command to the earth; swiftly runs his word! 16 He spreads snow like wool; frost he strews like ashes. (R) 19 He has proclaimed his word to Jacob, his statutes and his ordinances to Israel. 20 He has not done thus for any other nation; his ordinances he has not made known to them. (R)

GOSPEL

Jesus rejects the false understandings of the Law of Moses. He calls us anew to obey the Law of Moses in the context of love of God and love of neighbor. Love is the context of the law—if the law does not increase our capacity to love others, then we probably misunderstand it. St. Paul affirms this in 1 Corinthians 13 where he speaks of the emptiness of life without love. 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Your words, Lord, are spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life.

Matthew 5:17-19

17 Jesus said to 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. 18 Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. 19 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.”

think: How did Jesus fulfill the law and the prophecies in the Old Testament?

LAW+PROPHETS+CHRIST

The Law and the Prophets stood for the totality of Scriptures that every self-respecting Jew subscribed to. Anyone who knew what they stood for and what they meant accepted them whole and entire, not just parts and snippets of them.

Here comes Jesus who “taught with authority” and not quite like the Scribes and Pharisees. Was He up to something? Was He going to change all, or parts of what they revered as the totality of Scripture? Today, we hear it straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish, but to fulfill.”

I must admit there were times when I suspected individuals and their intentions when they bring something novel. New ideas and a fresh approach to doing things that we have gotten so used to always bring about resistance in people. Why change when things were going well?

When Christ began preaching and teaching, He unsettled too many people. The Gospel itself speaks about Him “teaching with authority.” But in today’s Gospel passage, He is both reassuring and promising.

How about this formula to live by: Law + Prophets + Christ = Everlasting Life. Nothing remiss; nothing out of place; nothing about subtraction but all about addition. And they all add up. They all lead to life—life in its fullness.

There are times when we feel left out because we have chosen to follow rules. There too are moments when we feel estranged from others because we follow the beats of a different drummer. We feel like odd balls because we have opted for Christ and not just the most sought-after social media influencer. Trolls, haters, and flamers could even call us names for standing up for what the law and the prophets and the teachings of Christ and His Church say. The rest of the “world” could even hate us and declare us medieval and irrelevant for sticking to moral truth. But through all these, let us remember the formula. They all add up—to life! Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

------- REFLECTION QUESTION -------

When you face criticism because of your Catholic beliefs, how do you respond— with cowardice or with courage?

Remind me always with Your Spirit, Lord, that to follow You will give me fullness of life. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ____________________________