Life in the Law

Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time

By Deacon Thomas Stephenson

February 12, 2017

As Father Paul told us last week, our Gospel passage for the past couple of Sundays and continuing for the rest of February is from the Sermon on the Mount. Today we pick up where we left off last week, with a long passage in which Jesus presents us with more instruction on how to live as Christians. There is a lot packed in there, and to cover everything we would be here for an awfully long time. So I’d like to focus mainly on one thing that is common to the Gospel and the other readings, including the Psalm – the Law. Not the Law as simply a set of rules, but as the framework within which we can follow the Law because of our love of God.

The Gospel begins with Jesus saying: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” He doesn’t just confirm the Law, He develops it further. Four times in this passage He says “you have heard that it was said…”, or “It was also said…” when, on the subject of adultery, He expands on it to include divorce. We’ll hear Him use this phrase again twice in next week’s Gospel. Then He goes on to add: “but I say to you…”, and gives us an additional dimension to each Law. Jesus didn’t change the Law. God’s Law has not changed; it cannot change. What Jesus did was to give us a deeper understanding of what the Law means, in how we interact with others and with the Lord.

Following the letter of the Law is not enough; that was the trouble with the Pharisees. If their adherence to the Law had come from their hearts, motivated by the love of the Lord, their actions would have been acceptable. So, following the Law is good, but it is not good enough. Let’s take one simple example that may be more applicable to our everyday lives than outright murder or adultery. When we come to Mass every Sunday, if we come here to pray, to worship God from our hearts and souls, to be here because we love Him, we are not only following the letter of the Law, we are following its spirit. If we only come because of the obligation, or to socialize, it’s still better to be here than to stay home, but that is more being like the Pharisees than being a Christian, and Jesus wants more from us – and for us – than that.

The examples that Jesus gives us show that our obedience to the Law is best when it begins in our hearts.

We need to do more than not kill anyone; we also need to not get unjustly angry, to not harbor grudges, and to love our enemies.

We need to do more than just avoid adultery; we also need to be chaste and pure, and to be in control of our thoughts and desires.

We need to love our spouses as the precious gifts from God that they are, and that we are to them, to accept that neither of us is perfect, and not want to even contemplate divorce.

We need to do more than not swear falsely; we need to be honest and truthful, and speak with integrity.

These are not ideals that are beyond our ability – these, and others, are the normal behaviours of those living a Christian life. Especially in the world today, there are many obstacles to remaining on the right path. But as Saint Paul said in the second reading, “We do speak of wisdom, but it is not the wisdom of this age”. The support for our life in Christ comes through Him, not from whatever so-called wisdom may currently be fashionable.

In his letter to the Galatians, Saint Paul tells us: “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law” (Galatians 5:18). This doesn’t mean that we don’t have to follow the Law, but that if we truly are trying to live our lives with a deep love of God, the Law doesn’t matter, because we would naturally not be doing the things the Law prohibits, and we would naturally be doing the things the Law instructs us to do. Without the Law to start with, however, we may make our choices based on how each of us feels at any given time, rather than on how the Lord has told us is the way to conduct ourselves.

As we are told in the first reading, from Sirach, “If you choose, you can keep the commandments, and they will save you.” It is our choice whether or not to follow the Law, and probably most of the time we choose to do so. But, let’s face it, we are weak, and don’t always make the right choice. As Saint Paul said “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do” (Romans 7:19). We need God’s help to transform us, to give us strength when we are weak. We also need to remember that, when in our weakness we sin, God has provided with us with the means to be forgiven – the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Going to confession not only forgives our sins, it also gives us grace to help us avoid sinning again. It is possible for us to follow the Law, but it is only possible through a combination of our choices and efforts, and the assistance of God’s grace.

God did not give us the Law to control us, or to prevent us from enjoying life. He revealed it to us so that we may freely choose to live our lives in accordance with His will. As the Psalm says, “Give me understanding, that I may keep your Law and observe it, with my whole heart.” May the Lord grant us the wisdom to continually seek Him, and the strength to grow ever closer to Him through living our lives in loving conformity to the Law.