All law must serve the law of love

Good morning, happy Friday, and many blessings my dear Holyrood family.

In this Reading, Matthew 12:1-8, we meet Jesus as one who believes that all law must serve the law of love. He calls this his commandment and in it he highlights his love for us as what must shape the way we see ourselves and others, the way we relate with God and with all creation. The law finds its fullness in Jesus, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil” (Matthew 5:17).

The sabbath was modelled on God’s rest-day after the days of Creation. It was meant more as a relief for people, than as a set of religious exactions. “God did not institute the Sabbath to add burdens to an already over-burdened humanity. The Sabbath is a moment for God’s people to pause and take time out to come to know better the God whose delight is to be with them”.

For the Pharisees, the meticulous observation of all their traditions was the most important value, even higher than being merciful and sensitive to the concrete needs of others. Jesus shows them that even in the Old Testament God thought otherwise, for he desires mercy more than sacrifice. The Pharisees were quick to point out the traditional observances of the Sabbath according to the Law and failed to understand the teaching of Jesus that ‘the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath’. They were too preoccupied with rules, regulations, and empty sacrificial offerings that they missed the meaning of the message of Jesus – the mercy and love of God.

Also, the Pharisees were stuck in their habit of finding fault – an easy trap for religious people to fall into. Jesus reminds them to really listen. The word of God is not given to us as an instruction manual but calls us to form our hearts. Jesus’ heart was not set on sacrifice, but on making evident God’s tender mercy. Jesus shows understanding and compassion for his disciples who are hungry on the Sabbath. He says that a compassionate response to human need is certainly more important than slavish Sabbath observance. 

God wants to free me from my anxieties, fears, and burdens through the gift of his unconditional mercy and love. Can I extend to others the gift of mercy and love so generously shared with me?

In today’s uncertain world this could also be a very real temptation: if I fulfil the law scrupulously, I can feel fine before God. Yet Jesus challenges us to think and act otherwise.

Jesus is very sure about God’s love. For him, God is on our side: God would rather see us fed than go hungry. God’s great concern is love: all law must serve the law of love. Is this how I live – putting love before all else?

Blessings

Fr. Luis+