Kaukauna Catholic Parishes

LAWS AND LOVE

“Click it or ticket. It’s the law.” We have all seen this sign throughout our state. It expresses the American mentality regarding laws: You must do this or that, or not do this or that because the authorities say so. Violating the law results in punishment. 

To some degree or the other, we all share in this mentality. Often, the determination of our actions is based on whether or not we will be punished; not on what is right or wrong. For example, how fast we drive may be determined by the speed we know will not result in getting a traffic ticket. Many times, though, we take a higher look at the law and determine our actions accordingly. The law might say to drive 25 miles per hour in our neighborhood but because we know children are playing there, we drive at 15 miles per hour. Bound, not by the law, but by our concern for the children in the area.

Hopefully, when we were children, we all listened to and obeyed our parents for an even higher motivation than fear or punishment. Hopefully, we obeyed our parents out of love. We experienced the continual sacrificial love our parents had for us and realized that even if we disagreed with one of their rules these rules were out of love and concern.

The first reading for this Sunday from the Book of Deuteronomy speaks about the laws God gave to the people of Israel in terms of His love for them. The Israelites did not view these laws as impositions from above that needed to be followed in order to avoid punishment. They saw the law as a personal expression of God’s love for them when the reading states “what great nation is there that has its god so near as the Lord our God is to us when we call on Him?” The people of Israel had a personal relationship with God. They knew that He cared for them. God’s laws were an expression of His love. They kept the law to return His love.  

St. James tells us in our second reading that “all good things come from heaven above.” God continually chooses each of us to be His child. He loves us first but we have to respond to His love. This is why St. James tells us, “Just listening to the word of God within us is not enough.” We must respond by putting His love into action. The motivation for our actions as Christians must be hearts full of love. This is what Jesus is pointing out in our Gospel
reading.

What matters is the motivation of our actions. What matters is what is inside of us. Virtue springs from hearts full of God’s love and responds with charity and kindness. St. James tells us that pure, unspoiled religion is to come to the aid of orphans and widows and to keep ourselves uncontaminated in the world.

Our God, our loving Father, is not in the clouds imposing laws upon us. Our loving Father is right here personally within each of us, and you and I are called by Jesus to love Him. We are never alone because we have a personal relationship with a loving Father, but we must care for His presence. We must nurture His presence by responding to His love or we will shut His love out of our lives. Today, may we keep Jesus in our hearts and live the ways of the Lord.

Blessings,
Deacon Mark