Fr. Patrick Santianez, sx
SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
In the Musical film Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye the lead character sung a famous song entitled “Tradition”. In between the song he made this dialogue, “because of our traditions, we’ve kept our balance for many, many years. Here in Anatevka we have traditions for everything… how to eat, how to sleep, how to wear clothes. For instance, we always keep our heads covered and always wear a little prayer shawl. This shows our constant devotion to God. You may ask, how did this tradition start? I’ll tell you- I don’t know. But it’s a tradition.”
Like Tevye who was a Jew, the audience of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount looked upon their Mosaic law as the summary of all wisdom, human and divine: the self revelation of God, a complete and secure guide of conduct. Even Mary and Joseph observed all the prescriptions of the law of Moses faithfully and performed its customary rituals.
In the gospel of today we have Jesus telling his audience that he came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law. We do not expect from Jesus an attitude or even an action that will disregard the law or the will of God. In fact the way he describes his mission is in terms of fulfillment of the law.
How does Jesus fulfills the law? By allowing us to be totally free. How can we reach total freedom so that the law of God will not only be obeyed but fulfilled? Fulfillment of the law is found in love. So for Jesus fulfillment of the law is not something that can be verified through external activities or observances only, but in the heart. I may be doing an external action, but Jesus wants to see the heart in it. Is my heart totally free? Is my heart totally obedient? Is my heart fully in love? Without love, the external observance of the law becomes a mere show.
Jesus points out 3 examples where an external observance of the law is not enough. I may not do the act of killing, but if I am not free to love my brothers and sisters, I am already committing murder. A married man or woman may not have another relationship outside his or her marriage, but if his or her heart entertains even imaginatively lustful alliances with people who are not his or her partner, then for Jesus that heart is not fully free to love and that heart is already committing adultery. The last example is in the area of speaking the truth. Taking an external oath is not enough; for Jesus, we need to be truthful in the heart. Is my heart really loving truth?
Like Tevye in the Fiddler on the roof, the law can bring out the good in us, but not quite the best in us. There are many things in us that need not be or cannot be legislated. Like love, for instance!
SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
In the Musical film Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye the lead character sung a famous song entitled “Tradition”. In between the song he made this dialogue, “because of our traditions, we’ve kept our balance for many, many years. Here in Anatevka we have traditions for everything… how to eat, how to sleep, how to wear clothes. For instance, we always keep our heads covered and always wear a little prayer shawl. This shows our constant devotion to God. You may ask, how did this tradition start? I’ll tell you- I don’t know. But it’s a tradition.”
Like Tevye who was a Jew, the audience of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount looked upon their Mosaic law as the summary of all wisdom, human and divine: the self revelation of God, a complete and secure guide of conduct. Even Mary and Joseph observed all the prescriptions of the law of Moses faithfully and performed its customary rituals.
In the gospel of today we have Jesus telling his audience that he came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law. We do not expect from Jesus an attitude or even an action that will disregard the law or the will of God. In fact the way he describes his mission is in terms of fulfillment of the law.
How does Jesus fulfills the law? By allowing us to be totally free. How can we reach total freedom so that the law of God will not only be obeyed but fulfilled? Fulfillment of the law is found in love. So for Jesus fulfillment of the law is not something that can be verified through external activities or observances only, but in the heart. I may be doing an external action, but Jesus wants to see the heart in it. Is my heart totally free? Is my heart totally obedient? Is my heart fully in love? Without love, the external observance of the law becomes a mere show.
Jesus points out 3 examples where an external observance of the law is not enough. I may not do the act of killing, but if I am not free to love my brothers and sisters, I am already committing murder. A married man or woman may not have another relationship outside his or her marriage, but if his or her heart entertains even imaginatively lustful alliances with people who are not his or her partner, then for Jesus that heart is not fully free to love and that heart is already committing adultery. The last example is in the area of speaking the truth. Taking an external oath is not enough; for Jesus, we need to be truthful in the heart. Is my heart really loving truth?
Like Tevye in the Fiddler on the roof, the law can bring out the good in us, but not quite the best in us. There are many things in us that need not be or cannot be legislated. Like love, for instance!