The gospel for this Sunday presents to us the importance of obeying the law of God. Jesus himself clearly states that “I have come not to abolish the law but to fulfill” meaning to say the law must be lived out of love, for the sake of love. That is the spirit of the law. In this sense, we can see and understand the dispute between Jesus and the Pharisees and the scribes. Jesus challenges them to let love be the center of the law. In other words, the law can only be a guide if a person knows what is the purpose and why he needs to obey it.
So, the question is, why do we need to follow and obey the Law? Perhaps, this experience of mine can help us to understand the reason for the need of obeying the rules. When I decided to enter the religious life and told my mother about this, she was surprised and disregarded my choice. She reminded me that I must have a pure heart and good intentions if I will enter the seminary. However, although it was heavy for my parents to let me go, they understand and support my decision.
From my parents, I have learned that love is always above other things, likewise the law of love is always at the center of our effort to following and obeying the rules or law. And that is the answer of the question above: why do we need to follow the Law, is it because of love? Like in the gospel this coming Sunday that Jesus doesn't abolish the law but he fulfills it and he loves it. Like what my parents did, instead of stopping me not to enter in the seminary, they fulfilled it and loved what my decision was. And I'm here in the seminary continuing my journey to be a follower of Christ and to love the law, what Jesus Christ did.
