434. "Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?" (Matthew 19:16).To the young man who asked this question, Jesus answered, "If you would enter into life, keep the commandments", and then he added, "Come, follow Me" (
Matthew 19:16-21). To follow Jesus involves keeping the commandments. The law has not been abolished but man is invited to rediscover it in the Person of the divine Master who realized it perfectly in himself, revealed its full meaning and attested to its permanent validity.
Further reading: CCC 2052-2054, 2075-2076435. How did Jesus interpret the Law?
Jesus interpreted the Law in the light of the twofold yet single commandment of love, the fullness of the Law: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets" (
Matthew 22:37-40).
Further reading: CCC 2055