20160302 FREEDOM AND
AUTONOMY VERSUS OBEDIENCE TO THE LAWS OF GOD
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
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First reading
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Deuteronomy
4:1,5-9 ©
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Moses said to the
people:
‘Now,
Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe
them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that
the Lord the God of your fathers is giving you.
‘See, as
the Lord my God has commanded me, I teach you the laws and customs that you are
to observe in the land you are to enter and make your own. Keep them, observe
them, and they will demonstrate to the peoples your wisdom and understanding.
When they come to know of all these laws they will exclaim, “No other people is
as wise and prudent as this great nation.” And indeed, what great nation is
there that has its gods so near as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call
to him? And what great nation is there that has laws and customs to match this
whole Law that I put before you today?
‘But take
care what you do and be on your guard. Do not forget the things your eyes have
seen, nor let them slip from your heart all the days of your life; rather, tell
them to your children and to your children’s children.’
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
147:12-13,15-16,19-20 ©
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O praise the Lord,
Jerusalem!
O praise the Lord,
Jerusalem!
Zion,
praise your God!
He has strengthened
the bars of your gates
he has
blessed the children within you.
O praise the Lord,
Jerusalem!
He sends out his word
to the earth
and swiftly
runs his command.
He showers down snow
white as wool,
he
scatters hoar-frost like ashes.
O praise the Lord,
Jerusalem!
He makes his word
known to Jacob,
to Israel
his laws and decrees.
He has not dealt thus
with other nations;
he has
not taught them his decrees.
O praise the Lord,
Jerusalem!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Jn8:12
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Glory to you, O
Christ, you are the Word of God!
I am the light of the
world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me
will have the light of life.
Glory to you, O Christ,
you are the Word of God!
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Or
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cf.Jn6:63,68
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Glory to you, O
Christ, you are the Word of God!
Your words are
spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message
of eternal life.
Glory to you, O
Christ, you are the Word of God!
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Gospel
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Matthew 5:17-19 ©
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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.’
FREEDOM
AND AUTONOMY VERSUS OBEDIENCE TO THE LAWS OF GOD
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: Deut 4:1, 5-9;
Ps 147:12-13,
15-16, 19-20; Matt 5:17-19
In the
world today, the right to freedom of expression has also led to the right of
autonomy from all laws. The modern world seeks a freedom that is
based on self, not on truth or on God. This is the consequence of
relativism when this kind of ideology enthrones the individual man as a law
unto himself. This explains why there is no unity in the world
today because everyone believes only in himself. Man has
unfortunately supplanted the place of God, who is the absolute law, for
himself. This will lead eventually to chaos and destruction of society
because there is no reference point for any objective assessment of moral
issues. In the name of freedom, everything is permissible even when
others get hurt in the process.
Such
also is the attitude of many Catholics as well. They call themselves “Catholic” but
have no respect for the Word of God, much less faith in the inerrancy of the
Bible. Although Catholic, they do not believe in the authority of the
College of Apostles to teach the truth as founded in scripture and
tradition. Such “baptized pagans” who live by the values of the world and
subscribe to their own opinions and judgement of what is right based on their
own evaluation cannot be said to be Catholic. A true Christian is one who
takes the Word of God for his direction in life. This is what the
psalmist says, “He makes his word known to Jacob, to Israel his laws and
decrees. He has not dealt thus with other nations; he has not taught them his
decrees.” This is what Moses said to his people as well, “And indeed,
what great nation is there that has its gods so near as the Lord our God is to
us whenever we call to him? And what great nation is there that has laws and
customs to match this whole Law that I put before you today?”
Consequently,
if we do not want to be misled by the world or be deceived by our own
ignorance, we must listen to Moses by following the laws of God so that we can walk in the way of
truth and love. He told his people, “And now, Israel, take notice of the
laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have
life and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord the God of
your fathers is giving you.” In the gospel, Jesus made it clear that He
did not come to abrogate the laws. On the contrary, 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.” So let us not entertain any false ideas
that we do not need the laws of God anymore. Let us not fall into
arrogance and pride thinking that humanity has the answers to everything, or
worse, for the individual to be his own judge of what is good and true in life.
But
observance of the laws cannot be done externally. The laws must be interiorized.
We must be able to make the laws of God given to us our own. Moses told
the people, “See, as the Lord my God has commanded me, I teach you the laws and
customs that you are to observe in the land you are to enter and make your
own.” The laws cannot change us if we are not convinced and have not made
them our own. They will only make us resentful and become a burden for
us. And even if we obey the laws, we become self-righteous, judgmental
and intolerant of others who fail because of weakness. Hence, we identify
with Moses when he saw the laws as the wisdom of God to guide the people to
live a life of harmony and love. This is the reason for the laws.
They are means, not an end unto themselves. That is why he instructed the
people, “Keep them, observe them, and they will demonstrate the peoples your
wisdom and understanding. When they come to know of all these laws they will
exclaim, ‘No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation.’”
How
can we then observe the laws of God wisely and faithfully? Before we can
accept the laws, the pre-requisite is that we must first encounter the power
and majesty of God.
This explains why Moses, in commanding them to observe the laws, also told
reminded them, “But take care what you do and be on your guard. Do not forget
the things your eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your heart all the days
of your life; rather, tell them to your children and your children’s
children.” In other words, unless we have known His love and care for
us, we will not be able to accept the laws of God. Obedience to the laws
of God is more than a mere intellectual assent to the truths as taught in
scripture and tradition but it presupposes a docile and loving heart that comes
from the conviction of His love for us. The Israelites saw what God did
for them in delivering them from the slavery of the Egyptians and the wonders
that the Lord performed and how He carried them on eagles’ wings to the
Promised Land.
But for
us, we have not seen the wonders of God and so can we be exempted?
Precisely, the coming of Jesus is necessary because as He said, “I have come
not to abolish but to complete them.” How does He complete the
laws? He does this by having us make the laws our own, to interiorize
them for ourselves and, most of all, by love. Obedience to God’s laws
without love will not empower the person. Jesus came to fulfill the laws
by going beyond the letter of the laws to the spirit. In all laws, the
spirit is always that of the love of God. All laws that are truly from
God give life; preserve us in truth and love. So when we observe the
commandments of God, we must ask for understanding of the laws so that we can
embrace them in our hearts with conviction. If many of our Catholics
reject the teaching of the bible and the magisterium, it is because they are
ignorant, whether due to arrogance or simply a lack of understanding.
Secondly,
Jesus fulfills the law by giving us the capacity to fulfill these laws in
bestowing upon us the Holy Spirit. St Paul says, “God’s love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Rom 5:5)
Without the reception of the Holy Spirit, we remain powerless in carrying out
the laws because as fallen creatures, we are weak due to a disordered and
weakened will. With the Holy Spirit, we can then walk in the way of the
Spirit as Jesus did. St Paul said, “Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not
gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires
is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh;
for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want.
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.” (Rom 5:16-18)
Thus,
during the season of Lent, let us reflect on our life by meditating on the
Word of God. We must say with St Peter, “Lord, to whom can we go? You
have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and
know that you are the Holy One of God.” (Jn 6:68f)
Indeed, with the psalmist, we say, “Your word is a lamp to my
feet and a light to my path.” (Ps 119:105)
St Paul reminds us, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so
that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good
work.” (2 Tim 3:16f)
So let us not just observe the laws for ourselves but so that others who see
that our lives are lived in true freedom, joy and love, too will want to come
to Jesus and follow Him. Conversely, Jesus warns us, “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.” Indeed, keeping the laws of God both in letter and in
spirit is the guarantee of life as the psalmist says, “O praise the Lord,
Jerusalem! Zion, praise your God! He has strengthened the bars of your gates he
has blessed the children within you.” Let the Word of God be the gates
that keep us in the House of God.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore
© All Rights Reserved
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