20180307
CHANGING LAWS?
07 MARCH, 2018, Wednesday, 3rd Week of Lent
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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Keep these laws and observe them
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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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I have not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to
complete them
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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.’
CHANGING LAWS?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Dt 4:1,5-9; Ps 147:12-13,15-16,19-20; Mt 5:17-19 ]
In a world of
relativism, no laws are absolute. They change with the times, according to the situation and
the preferences of the people. What is declared an offence could be
sanctioned as sacred the next generation! Laws are therefore
mutable. They are simply human enactments of regulations to govern
harmony among the peoples. They could be changed when they are no longer
useful. This might be so for human laws such as civil laws.
The real
question is, are moral laws also changeable? The main problem of
relativism is moral relativism. This is the crux of the issue between the
secularists and the moralists. For those who believe in God, the moral
laws are universal principles for life, applicable at all times and for all
generations. These cannot be changed according to situations but humanity
remains constant. Moral laws are founded on natural laws which are
consistent. When time immemorial moral laws are altered to satisfy man’s
indulgences, the implications could be disastrous. What is right becomes
wrong and what is wrong becomes right. So much so, we cannot speak of
morality today.
This is what
Moses meant when he also laid down the immutability of the laws. “You must neither add
anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the
commandments of the Lord your God with which I am charging
you.” (Dt 4:2)
Does it mean then, that all laws cannot be changed? Not at all! It
all depends on what kind of laws we are dealing with. If these are civil
laws, customs and rituals, these can be changed according to situations and
circumstances. Such laws are contextualized in a specific situation. With
the changing situation, such laws must adapt to the lifestyle of the
people. For example, in the world of globalization and mass migration, we
are no longer speaking of inculturation but trans-culturation. That is to
say, we are not speaking of giving a local expression to some alien expressions
of faith or customs, but we are referring to an assimilation of
cultures. What cannot be changed are moral laws because these are
universal laws of nature.
It is within
this context of giving life that we are called to approach the laws given to us
by God. Moses told the 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. 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 and customs given by God were to help
the Israelites to live their lives wisely and in unity as they entered the Promised
Land. Otherwise, they would be influenced by the negative lifestyle of
the pagan cultures.
Indeed, the
laws must be seen in relationship to a loving God who cares for His people. This explains why
after speaking about the laws given to help them to enter into life, Moses
immediately added, “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, the laws cannot be regarded purely as some abstract laws
imposed on the people. The laws are the expression of God’s love for the
people whom He saved from Egypt. Moses said, “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?”
The laws are
the wisdom of a loving God given to His people so that they can walk in truth
and love.
They were the means by which God protected the city. “He has strengthened the
bars of your gates he has blessed the children within you.” This is how the
psalmist praises God, “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. 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.”
To observe
the laws, they must remember what the Lord had done for them. Unless they
have seen God’s act of saving them from the bondage of the Egyptians and saw
His mighty works, it would be difficult to observe the laws. We only obey
those whom we love and trust. Just like how an expectant mother will obey
the laws given by the doctor with regard to her diet and care of her health, so
we will obey only those whom we love and trust. St John wrote, “By this
we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his
commandments. For the love of God is this, that we obey his
commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whatever
is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the
world, our faith.” (1 Jn 5:2-4)
Indeed, the
laws must not be seen negatively. They are not meant to take away our
freedom but to give us true freedom. Because we are weak and unenlightened, the Lord has given
us the laws which is His wisdom to guide us in living fully. As St Paul
wrote, “Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it
legitimately. This means understanding that the law is laid down not
for the innocent but for the lawless and disobedient, for the godless and
sinful, for the unholy and profane … and whatever else is contrary to the sound
teaching that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he
entrusted to me.” (1 Tim 1:8-11)
However,
unless the laws are applied correctly, they become a burden to the people. That was the case of
the Jews when the Jewish leaders kept on multiplying the laws. As a
consequence, observing the laws became such a burden to the people. This
explains why Jesus broke many of the customs of His day, simply because the
application was wrong. This is what the Lord 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.”
Jesus came to
perfect the law by giving us the spirit of the laws. Having the right
spirit in observing the laws is important. This spirit that
perfects the laws is the spirit of love. All laws must be observed for
the love of God and for our fellowmen. St Paul wrote, “Owe no one
anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has
fulfilled the law. The commandments, You shall not commit adultery; You
shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet; and any other
commandment, are summed up in this word, Love your neighbor as
yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the
fulfilling of the law.” (Rom 13:8-10)
Such laws are universal compared to customs and rituals and ceremonial
laws. Besides the Ten Commandments, we have the Beatitudes, the
Sermon on the Mount and the New Commandment given by the Lord. (cg Mt 5-7; Jn 13:34)
All these are not so much specific laws but they are universal principles by
which specific laws are drawn out for application.
All laws must
be at the service of authentic love and at the service of truth. This is how we must
measure the wisdom of the laws that are enacted in our communities. We
must ask whether the laws that are enshrined in our country, organizations and
institutions are life-giving and meant for the service of love and truth.
When laws marginalize the weak and the minority, when they do not respect the
freedom of their informed conscience, they will weaken the people.
Indeed, many
of the laws that are enacted are not truly, but only apparently, life-giving.
For example, abortion, same-sex union and euthanasia. They are enacted in
the name of love but it is for the love of self, not the weak and not for the
greater good of society. It is ironical that we approve the immorality of
people’s lifestyles promoted in the entertainment world, such as sexual
promiscuity, cohabitation, adultery, pornography, violence, cheating and
killing as if it is the norm of society. The truth is that when we plant
such lustful thoughts into the minds of people, especially the young, these
thoughts will be conceived in action. So on one hand, we are hard and
harsh in punishing molesters, pedophiles and offenders, but we enact laws that
sow the seeds of lust and greed and violence. How can we place the temptation
before them, and when they fall into temptation, we accuse them of wrong
doing? Those who tempt others to sin are no less guilty than those who
are guilty of sin! This is the warning of our Lord. “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.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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