Wouldn’t life be less complicated if doing the right thing was as simple as obeying the law?  Of course that is not the case.  Law is very important in guiding our actions, but it is not an absolute.  Even the commandment, “Thou shall not kill” has exceptions such as self-defense and the protection of another’s life.  The mature Christian doesn’t simply obey the law, but rather applies the law in an art we call morality.  This Christian morality begins with the will of God and not the law.   What is it that God wants?  For example, in the fifth commandment, is God simply asking us not to kill or is God asking us to protect and nourish life?   What is God’s will?  

In the Gospel, Jesus was often confronted with questions of the law and accusations that his disciples broke them.  How did Jesus answer these charges?  In Matthew 12:1-8, the scribes and Pharisees accused the disciples of breaking the law by picking and eating grain on the Sabbath.  This was strictly forbidden and anyone who broke the law dishonored the Sabbath and thus, God.  Yet, Jesus counters the accusation with three points.  First, human need takes precedence over the law.  He points out that David and his men ate the bread forbidden to anyone but the priests because they were hungry.  He argues that resting on the Sabbath is not as important to God as feeding the hungry.  His second point was that in order to fulfill the requirements of the Sabbath, some have to be exempt.  He points out that even on the Sabbath, the priests did the work required for sacrifices to continue.  These sacrifices honored God and that was the real purpose of the Sabbath.  His third point was to quote the prophet Hosea.  “I desire steadfast love, not sacrifice.”   Sacrifices may demonstrate one’s willingness to love as God commands, but demonstrations are not the same thing as actual love. 

 

When we make moral decisions we must keep these things in mind.  Morality begins with doing the will of God.  Too narrow of an interpretation can be just as bad as too broad.   In order to do God’s will, our actions must 1) take in consideration human need; 2) honor God; and 3) be an act of love.  Observing the law does not necessarily require this, but doing God’s will does.   Our choices demand prayer, reflection and a desire to make our hearts one with Christ.  It might be simpler if all we had to do was not break the law; but then it wouldn’t be what Jesus asks.