Tuesday, 9 June 2015

THE NEW COVENANT IS ROOTED IN THE SPIRIT OF LOVE

20150610 THE NEW COVENANT IS ROOTED IN THE SPIRIT OF LOVE

Readings at Mass

First reading
2 Corinthians 3:4-11 ©
Before God, we are confident of this through Christ: not that we are qualified in ourselves to claim anything as our own work: all our qualifications come from God. He is the one who has given us the qualifications to be the administrators of this new covenant, which is not a covenant of written letters but of the Spirit: the written letters bring death, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the administering of death, in the written letters engraved on stones, was accompanied by such a brightness that the Israelites could not bear looking at the face of Moses, though it was a brightness that faded, then how much greater will be the brightness that surrounds the administering of the Spirit! For if there was any splendour in administering condemnation, there must be very much greater splendour in administering justification. In fact, compared with this greater splendour, the thing that used to have such splendour now seems to have none; and if what was so temporary had any splendour, there must be much more in what is going to last for ever.

Psalm
Psalm 98:5-9 ©
You are holy, O Lord our God.
Exalt the Lord our God;
  bow down before Zion, his footstool.
  He the Lord is holy.
You are holy, O Lord our God.
Among his priests were Aaron and Moses,
  among those who invoked his name was Samuel.
  They invoked the Lord and he answered.
You are holy, O Lord our God.
To them he spoke in the pillar of cloud.
  They did his will; they kept the law,
  which he, the Lord, had given.
You are holy, O Lord our God.
O Lord our God, you answered them.
  For them you were a God who forgives;
  yet you punished all their offences.
You are holy, O Lord our God.
Exalt the Lord our God;
  bow down before his holy mountain
  for the Lord our God is holy.
You are holy, O Lord our God.

Gospel Acclamation
Ps118:27
Alleluia, alleluia!
Make me grasp the way of your precepts,
and I will muse on your wonders.
Alleluia!
Or
Ps24:4,5
Alleluia, alleluia!
Teach me your paths, my God,
make me walk in your truth.
Alleluia!

Gospel
Matthew 5:17-19 ©
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.’


THE NEW COVENANT IS ROOTED IN THE SPIRIT OF LOVE

SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 COR 3:4-11; MT 5:17-19
One of the struggles in spiritual life is the apparent tension between observing the laws and observing the spirit of the laws.  At times, they seem to be in opposition.  Those who observe the laws are critical of those who do not.  Those who bend the laws in the name of love accuse those who observe the laws strictly as being legalistic and lacking compassion.  What, then, is the biblical stand with respect to the walking by the laws or walking in the Spirit? 
In the first reading, St Paul apparently denigrated the laws.  He himself was a rabbi and observed the laws scrupulously and persecuted those who did not.  But after his conversion experience, when he was saved by Christ’s gracious love and mercy for him in spite of his past, he came to realize that justification is not by the observance of the laws but through faith in God’s grace and mercy.  It is within this context that we can appreciate what he wrote in the first reading, “He is the one who has given us the qualifications to be the administrators of this new covenant, which is not a covenant of written letters but of the Spirit: the written letters bring death, but the Spirit gives life.” 
Conversely, in the gospel, Jesus reiterated the importance of observing the laws.  He said, “Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets.  I have come not to abolish but to complete them.  I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved.” Of course, we must take into context the intent of the evangelist as he was writing for the Jewish Christians who were expelled from the Synagogue after the destruction of Jerusalem as they were accused of violating the Mosaic laws of fasting and all the ritual requirements of Judaism.  Regardless of the motive of the evangelist, Jesus made it clear that not only must the laws be observed.  Rather, they must be observed not just externally but with the right interior motive of love rather than compliance. If it were the latter, it would only lead to pride and self-righteousness.  If it were the former, then it is rooted in gratitude and love.
In truth, therefore, the Law and the Spirit are not conflicting ways to live a life of perfection.  Rather, they mutually complement each other in this endeavor.  The Law and traditions in themselves are partial fulfillment of the law of love.  They are means to the end which is love of God, neighbor and self.  They cannot save us unless they are seen as vehicles of a life of charity.  If the laws were given to the people of the Old Covenant, it was because God wanted them to live a life of harmony, respect for each other and compassion for the poor and the migrants.  These laws help to govern relationships whether with God or with others and self.  They are objective guidelines and principles for the regulation of community living.
The real temptation of those who take the laws seriously and see them as ends in themselves is that they become intolerant of others who are not able to observe the laws or do not.  They appoint themselves as the inquisitors and judge of others.  They can end up being overly ritualistic and legalistic.  The laws become more important than the person.  The laws are applied blindly without recognizing when this is done; more harm is caused to the person or even to the community because no laws can fit perfectly in every situation.  The failure to bend the laws for the sake of charity causes more division than unity.  When achievements are glorified, then those who perform the laws can boast of their merits.  That is why they tend to be proud and despise others.  Pride is an even worse sin than those who sinned and recognize their sinfulness in humility.
On the other hand, those who cannot observe the laws because of human weakness, much as they try and really try but fail again and again, end up condemning themselves.  They begin to hate themselves for being so useless and sinful.  Yet, it is not that they do not wish to overcome their sins, but that they have lost their self-esteem and dignity because of the past conditioning, the culture they were brought up in and the circumstances of their broken lives because of hurts inflicted by their loved ones and friends.  The irony is that those who sin further are those who hate themselves.  It is not that they enjoy sinning and going against the laws of God but that they are so weak emotionally and psychologically that no matter how hard they try, they cannot overcome their human frailties.  And by condemning themselves and having others condemn them, they fall deeper into the pit of sin.  If we cannot truly love ourselves, how can we have the capacity to love others!  Loving others and reaching out to others presupposes that we are able to love ourselves.  It is unthinkable that one can have true compassion for others if we do not have compassion for ourselves.
So the answer is always the principle of love!  So long as everything is done in the spirit of love, then love must prevail.  Legalism always leads to punishment.  But therein lies the danger.   Many who break the laws appeal to the principle of love.  This is where we can deceive ourselves.  We place ourselves beyond and above the laws.  The important criterion we need to ask ourselves is, when we apply this principle of love, does it benefit only one person or a small group of people or the whole community?   If the application of the law of love becomes an injustice to the larger community, then one wonders whether it is really an act of love.  True love unites, not divides.  How true, even within our churches as the debate continues to what extent must we observe the rubrics of liturgical celebration!  Could anyone honestly say that he has observed the rubrics to the last detail, externally and more importantly, interiorly?  On the other hand, those who break the liturgical laws, are they truly doing out of love and for the service of the people and in the promotion of unity?  Love, when it becomes purely subjective, is serving one’s narrow interests rather than that of the common good.
The truth is that although love must be the guiding and fundamental principle, the laws are not actually against love.  They are given to preserve love and harmony, so that everyone is respected and given due justice.  Without the laws, love is blind and can only hurt us in the end.  Without the laws, love can actually cause more harm and division than unity. Because we are weak and ignorant, the laws serve to guide us.   In temptations, the laws will strengthen us.  In ignorance, the laws will keep us walking in the truth. That is why the Church too has laws, liturgical and canon laws, for the purpose of justice and charity. Therefore, only in exceptional and individual cases, could the laws be waived for a greater good, as in the case of Jesus who would occasionally break the Sabbath laws and traditions because a greater good demands of it, especially when it comes to saving lives.  Other than that, Jesus would observe the Jewish laws like the rest of His fellow Jews.
In the final analysis, those who truly obey the laws in spirit are those who keep the laws and go beyond what the laws dictate.  As Jesus said, “the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.” So only those who go beyond the mere observance of the laws to the spirit and keep both can truly be said to have observed the laws.  Hence, it is not sufficient to teach others to observe the laws but we must keep them ourselves.   We need to pray for prudence and discernment so that we do not break the laws freely or take them lightly.  On the other hand, we must be prayerful enough to discern when we can exercise the spirit of the law of love so that we are people of the Spirit. As St Paul wrote, “Before God, we are confident of this through Christ: not that we are qualified in ourselves to claim anything as our own work: all our qualifications come from God.  He is the one who has given us the qualifications to be the administrators of this new covenant, which is not a covenant of written letters but of the Spirit.”
Do you dare to claim, as St Paul did, that you are inspired by the Holy Spirit to act contrary to the laws?  Are you so sure that you are doing purely out of love based on objectivity and not mere personal feelings?  As St Paul says, let us observe the fruits of the Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” (Gal 5:22-25)


Written by The Most Rev William Goh
Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore
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