When someone mentions laws and/or commandments, we usually think of them as burdens that we have to bear to be good citizens or church members. But if you listen carefully to the first reading from Deuteronomy, you get the sense that the laws Moses presented to the people of Israel were gift from God, something to be proud of. Moses gives two reasons for this.
Moses presents the laws as wise and just, so much so that other nations would praise and envy the Israelites for having such laws. Some of the nations around at the time had kings who used the law to keep themselves in power and make them wealthy.
The second reason was that they showed how much God cared for his people, that he would guide them in their everyday lives and hear their prayers. Though God is greater than they could comprehend, he is also nearer than we think. This brings us to Jesus, who shows us the Father and who made the law both simpler and more challenging.
Jesus simplified the laws by showing us that loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves was the basis of all God’s laws. The challenge is to do more than simply avoid hurting or cheating others. We are to love one another as Jesus loves us. That means reaching out to those in need, forgiving our enemies, caring for the sick or dying. And don’t forget about loving God: How often do we even think about Him, thank Him for all we have, or take time to listen to Him? Do we love Jesus so much that we want other people to know him too? If we are willing to accept the challenge to love God and neighbor, we will not have to worry about breaking laws.
Tom Schmidt