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The Spirit of the Gospel: Love

Each religion has something that it is proud of. The Egyptians had the great traditions regarding how to regulate the Nile River, how to build the pyramids and the graves of their Pharaohs. They had special methods for mummifying their kings, the bodies of whom have lasted until today.

The people of ancient Greece were proud of the wisdom of their philosophers, great thinkers, and mathematicians. They built special temples and monuments dedicated to the gods they had created gods like Zeus, Athena, Aphrodite, who were based on humans. They wrote great dramas and devised special myths to explain things in the world, and the gods were often the protagonists in these myths.

The ancient Israelites received a special gift from God—the true God: the law. God gave the Israelites the law as a sign of His Love and care. For by following God’s law, the Israelites would be able to come to know Him in a deeper way. Even more, not only did God give the law, He Himself fulfilled it. Through the Incarnation, Jesus Christ fulfilled the law.

In today’s Gospel we hear a discussion between Jesus and the Pharisees. This discussion pertains to God’s law, specifically to purity. The Pharisees are perplexed by the lack of exterior purity of Jesus’ disciples. The Pharisees and the scribes were good people, but for them it was most important to follow the letter of the law.

Jesus tells the Pharisees that there is something more important than the letter of the law—than exterior things—and that is the spirit of the law. As Jesus says, it is not what is on the exterior that is bad, but what comes from the interior—meaning what comes from the heart—that can be evil. For God, the most important is what we have in our hearts, our intentions. Even before Jesus, God made this clear through the prophets of the Old Testament. Many times, we hear the prophets encourage the people to change their lives and to turn their hearts to God. God wants us to love Him and others, because He loves us and wants to bestow His Love on us. To love God means to follow His commandments, but with a good intention and purity of heart.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about interior things. Jesus speaks about the importance of having a purity of heart and good intentions in all that we think, say, and do.

During today’s Eucharist let us not be afraid to be close to Jesus. He always reminds us that He loves us unconditionally, and He is always ready to give us the grace to follow Him:

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart . . .”

Yours in Christ,
Father Arthur

Readings for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: Lectionary 125