As humans we
really like to have some aspects of our lives as clear as possible, especially
such things as our debts and our responsibilities. Matthew’s Gospel addresses that desire and
puts it in its place, a place which is not the one which we would ordinarily
ask for [Matthew 5:17-19].
Jesus speaks
of how He doesn’t plan on abolishing the Law, of how every letter and every
smallest part of each letter must be fulfilled; our duty should be clear then,
since the laws (or the Law) of the Old Testament are written fairly clearly and
have been carefully interpreted by rabbis and scholars over the centuries.
But is our
role actually that clear? As it happens, the Church simply doesn’t follow the
laws or Law of the Old Testament in the way that Jesus seems to imply that we
should—far from it.
I suspect
that Jesus curiously insists on the letter of the Law but actually means what
seems to be the contrary, the spirit of the Law—the spirit of the Law is not
the contrary or opposite of the literal meaning but simply what gives life to
the written and explicit form. I would
say that the letter and the spirit (Spirit) are in what can be called a “creative
tension” that gives life to those who seek God in a true, serious, and real
manner.
During Lent each
of us must have that same struggle: is our religious life, our relationship to
God, a matter of clear and specific obligations that we can accomplish and
dismiss, becoming satisfied and justified by our own efforts? Or is it a matter of embracing the Spirit, of
always going further, seeking a greater light and life in God, yearning for a
more personal, ongoing, and interactive relationship, and always getting to
know, love, and serve Him more generously and perfectly?
I believe
that this is what Christ calls us to here. Perfect fulfillment of the Law means that we
need to follow the Spirit with prayer, fasting, humility, and a readiness to do
not only more but better.
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