The law is good, but...

September 02, 2012

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dt 4,1-2 .6-8 . Js 15,2-3.3-4.4-5

Mk 7,1-8.14-15.21-23

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This is just a quick dose, straight to the point. My apologies for some absurd words in today's dose, but I think we need some of these sometimes.

Jesus wakes up the awareness of the people of the real essence of the law, as he witnesses the hypocrisy of the scribes and pharisees. He declares the plasticity of the elders, adhering to the law to receive the admiration of the Jews, but not giving true praise to God to whom praise is due: You disregard God's commandment and cling to human tradition.

We are born in a system where we are thought to live by the law for us to be happy and at peace, but up to what extent?

Three points, dear friends:

1. The law is good, but its effectiveness depends on how we interpret it. When we see the sign, bawal umihi dito, what do we do? Some abide and continue walking, while others will look around, sneak and take their liquid waste off. While everyone does live by the law of the land, there are a good few who just walk against it.

2. The law is good, but it depends on the need of the society. Let's face it, we have lots of laws here from our Constitution to various Republic Acts which determine our Filipino lifestyle nowadays. They are so plenty, but we don't know what really applies to our needs. We even don't know that such a law exists.

3. The law is good, but it depends on its impact on our moral and holistic values. While we need guidelines for us to live in a just and humane society, we realize that not all laws are REALLY needed. We sensationalize lies so that we can say to the people, Marami na tayo at di na namin kayo mapapakain... eto ang condom! eto ang pills! As an effect, poor people who fall in to their 'magic' suffer from the consequences afterwards.

Jesus says, From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts (...). All these evils come from within and they defile. Yes, God gave the law for us to abide, but not all laws which we follow today come from God's providence. Some come from the greedy and money-licking minds of the few. These laws satisfy their need for fame and power; everything else is discarded, including the real needs of the masses.

We adhere more to these laws over the law of God which is to love him with all ourselves and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. In the pharisees and scribes, we see many politicians who just grab all the people's money just to satisfy his greedy wants, while leaving the people in misery. This opens before our eyes the reality that God's desires are different from Man's desires. 

Jesus wakes us up today. He wants us to see that God's will won't lead us to doom, but to life. He grants us the law for us to follow, but it leads us to himself, and not to other means. Without his grace, we are nothing but empty machines who manufacture rules for our own satisfaction.

Let us ask ourselves, Do I really follow God's law of love, or the thousands of man's meaningless laws which means nothing in God's eyes? Am I pure in my desires, thoughts and ideas? Do I take the initiative of leading my neighbor to God's bosom?

It's the first Sunday of September, let us open ourselves to the reality that without God, we are nothing. We need his grace to be righteous citizens of this world, for us to be worthy citizens in the life to come.

Amen.