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Exploring the word

05 May 2019 - Third Sunday of Easter, Cycle C

The way of the Kingdom bears little resemblance to the way of the law. Its means, its motives, and its goals often move like a crosscurrent against the accepted moral code. The Pharisees and Jesus once had a telling exchange that underscored the difference between these ways. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the people cried hosannas to the king, which alarmed the religious leaders who feared a riot and ensuing crackdown. So the Pharisees ordered him bluntly, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” Being people of the law, they assume that a quick command from the leadership will get the crowds in line. This is the assumption of lawgivers: that obedience is the answer to every conflict, and obedience can be enforced. But in the way of the Kingdom, the coercive power of law is replaced by the persuasive power of love. The human will may choose to lay itself down, but it cannot be throttled into submission. Love is the only command to which the citizen of the Kingdom cheerfully complies. So Jesus replies: “I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!” Chances are, as people of the law, the Pharisees found this answer inscrutable. They never learn A few months and one significant crucifixion later, the religious leaders of the Sanhedrin have called the apostles before them. This is not their first post-Easter run-in, which is evident by the remarks of the high priest: “We gave you strict orders, did we not, to stop teaching in that name?” Once again, the law people are at a total loss to comprehend the Kingdom people. The religious leaders actually seem to expect that the apostles would do as they’re told! Peter patiently explains, “We must obey God rather than mortals.” He presents what is by now his soundbite gospel, affirms the call to testify to this, and draws upon the further witness of the Holy Spirit. This is the only testimony Peter offers. It is the same in the court of the Sanhedrin as on the streets of Jerusalem. But of course, this liberating message given so freely has no impact on the people of the law. They repeat the injunction not to teach in “that name” and let the apostles go. Do they really think reissuing the same order will have a different effect this time? Do they really believe they can command a person’s soul by simply insisting? The law of love The people of Israel didn’t need more laws to tell them what to do and how to live. They had the 10 heavy commandments of Moses and the hundreds of accompanying Deuteronomic laws designed to govern their every meal, habit, prayer, and decision. When Saint Paul spoke of this lifestyle from personal experience, he called it a burden. Though once intended to safeguard and uplift the community, the way of law had become a leery navigation through a crushingly narrow passage. Instead of “saving” people from their sins, the law only seemed to confirm how lost they were. Paul, the perfect Pharisee, was the first to recognize the genius of Christianity. The law could never save; it could only compel the same today as yesterday. Strict adherence to the law could never make a person generous, compassionate, or just. The way of the Kingdom toppled worldly values, even the law itself, and established love as the only criteria for fruitful living. After all, it was love that led Jesus to the cross and saved the sinful world in one all-redeeming embrace. For love’s sake, people were emboldened to go far beyond the strictures of law into the freedom of the children of God. Simon, do you love me? The differences between the way of the Kingdom and the way of the law show up in the post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus. If Jesus were a proponent of lawful living, he would have had a few well-chosen words of correction to administer to his followers, who had failed in their allegiances all across the board. But instead, Jesus does what love longs to do: He comforts Mary in the garden, offers peace to his friends huddled in the upper room, goes out of his way to include Thomas, who had excluded himself, and makes breakfast for his friends when they haven’t been able to catch a bite all night. And when Jesus speaks privately to Peter, who is haunted by mortification since his denial, the words are only about love. He doesn’t ask Peter for an apology, a pledge of allegiance, or a testimony of faith. Jesus simply asks, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Jesus trusts that if he has Peter’s love, all the rest will be added besides. Peter offers his love three times, vigorously and with no small amount of distress for being asked more than once. In response, Jesus commissions him to serve. No special skills are required beyond love, evidently. Peter’s not much of a fisherman, and there’s no guarantee he’ll make a better shepherd. But his love will cover a multitude of faults, all the way to a glorious death only a lover could embrace. Applying the word What if we loved? What if we loved, instead of insisting on our rights, on what’s due us in matters of fairness, on the submission of others to the letter of law and principle? What if we focused our attention on the mandate to love and didn’t fixate on the response of others around us? What if we expressed our love in service to others, and our own fidelity to that call became the only moral code that concerned us? For too long, religious people have been tempted to cling to rules as a source of justification, as well as a whip and chair to get our neighbors into line or to condemn them in our hearts. Our forgiveness is contingent on apology, and our love is timidly and conditionally given. If love became our starting point, we might end up in quite a surprising place. Related scripture links Rebuke your disciples: Luke 19:39-40 No one takes my life, I lay it down: John 10:17-18 The burden of the law: Rom. 3:20, 4:15, 5:20, 7:7-25, 13:8-10 The freedom of the children of God: Rom. 3:21-31, 7:4-6, 8:14-21 Jesus returns without reproach: John 20:11-21:19

Authors Alice Camille

the way of the kingdom kingdom people law of love the way of the law

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01 Sep 2024 - Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

“Hold my hand before you cross the street.” I can hear my dad’s voice in my head to this day, as I approach any intersection. He must’ve said this to me dozens of times, but one memory stands out: When he didn't say it. I was about 6 years old—and apparently old enough to not hold his hand when crossing the street. Still, I instinctively reached out for his hand. He let go. I said, “You have to hold my hand.” “Why?” He challenged. “That’s the rule,” I answered. “But you know how to cross the street. You can look both ways. You can see if a car is coming. That’s what matters.” I must’ve looked confused. Maybe a bit scared. Dad bent down to my level, “It’s true. That’s the rule; hold my hand when we cross the street. The reason for the rule is that I want you to be safe. But you don’t have to hold my hand forever.” Then he held my hand and we crossed. But that was probably the last time. I always remember that story. Dad was teaching me the difference between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. He was teaching me, not to challenge authority, but critical thinking. Twenty years later I was in a heated conversation with a friend about drinking and driving. She said, “You shouldn’t drink and drive because if you do, you will get a ticket, or worse, lose your car.” I said, “You shouldn’t drink and drive because if you do, you might kill yourself, or worse, kill someone else.” That’s probably when I realized the true difference. We don’t do things or not do things because there’s a rule. That’s the letter of the law. There’s a rule for a reason. That’s the spirit of the law. When it comes to the laws of God or the rules of the church; the spirit of the law is always love.

Authors Deacon Pedro Guevara-Mann

letter of the law spirit of the law law of love

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01 Sep 2024 - Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Ignorance of the law does not mean we are free from keeping it. It is our responsibility to know what the laws are. Ignorance is no defense. Maybe that’s why there are so many lawyers. Reading legal documents is not easy for the untrained person. From a simple will to a house closing, a lawyer’s job is to make sure nothing is left out and everything is said exactly the way it needs to be said. Consequently too many of us nonlawyers are afraid of the law. Standing before an “officer of the law” frightens us. And going to court is even less appealing. Ironically, we live in a society where the amount of litigation is increasing all the time. So often our goal becomes to “settle out of court” and avoid the whole process. This is in direct contradiction to the way the chosen people of Israel looked upon the law. They loved it precisely because God was to be found in the law, and the law set them apart as God’s chosen people. To keep the law, to keep the covenant made with God, was the highest way of sharing your love for God. Jesus breaks this law. He challenges those who were noted for keeping the law, the Pharisees, and calls them hypocrites. The letter of the law is not as important as what is in our hearts. This is the new law of love that we as God’s newly chosen people must live by. It’s harder and won’t get easier.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

law of love letter of the law

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