I would like to reflect on the role of rules in our lives. We all see and mostly obey street signs which are communicating rules to us. We have all scrolled down to the bottom of a page to agree to terms (or rules).
We all would acknowledge that rules are very important for the smooth functioning of society. Our roads would be in complete disarray without rules. This disarray would quickly lead to dangerous situations. So, rules in society are necessary.
There are also rules that pertain to moral behavior. Some of these rules we like and others we don’t. I have noticed that the rules I dislike the most are probably the very ones that I need the most. These are the rules that I bristle at and that disturb me the most. There are moral laws I simply do not want to follow. There are moral laws that perhaps I think are wrong.
It is interesting that Jesus tells us that He came to liberate us from the law. St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Galatians (5:18) that, “if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” But Jesus also tells us that He has come not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. How do these two statements get reconciled?
If there is something that I am required to do AND my heart is in conformity with that, then I am not bound by the law so much as I am acting from my deepest longings. In that case I am free from the constraint of the law because my heart is in conformity with the law. For example, there is a law that tells me that I cannot kill my wife. I am not constrained by the law; rather my heart is in conformity with that law. In that sense I am free from the law. This does NOT mean I am free to kill my wife. When/If my heart is not in conformity with the law, then I am constrained by the law and therefore under the law.
Jesus came to change our hearts. He doesn’t just want us to do the right thing, He wants our hearts to be properly formed. He wants us to not just avoid adultery; He wants our hearts to be so pure that we do not desire to do so.
— Pat Arensberg is the Director of the Office for Evangelization and Family Life. Email him at [email protected] For more information concerning the events of this office, visit us at mobilefaithformation.org