The view that Christianity is all about a list of do’s and dont’s is not uncommon among non-Christians, and even some Christians themselves. It is the way I perceived it for a long time and a mentality that is hard to uproot completely. However, today’s Gospel confronts this view and challenges each of us in our perception and understanding of what being Christian is all about.
There is no denying that the commandments are central to Christianity. From the time the Law is first given to Moses in Mount Sinai, it is an essential part of Israel’s identity. By its observance, Israel gains God’s blessings and is made into His people. Throughout its history, Israel’s identity is defined first and foremost by this: that they are God’s people. And it is through the Law that they come to know Him and His will. Even when God becomes incarnate and takes on our humanity, He doesn’t abolish the Law. Instead, He says His only purpose is to fulfill it and in today’s Gospel condenses the commandments to one: love one another as I have loved you.
Yet, today’s Gospel also reveals that the commandments, thought essential, were never an end in themselves. It was never about a blind following of things to do and not to do. Instead, they were always a vehicle, a means, toward the true end: right relationship with God. “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.”
Therefore, the commandments and our observance of them are undoubtedly indispensable. But it is not a matter of futile and empty legalism. Instead, they are the means by which we come to know God’s will and, most importantly, come to recognize that His will is good. Allow me to stress this because at the root of that legalistic perception of Christianity is the idea that God’s commandments are arbitrary and oppressive. The reality, however, is that God’s will for us is good. Yes, even though sometimes we may find them hard to understand or difficult to follow, His commandments are meant for our good. And this is made manifest all the more in the Gospel, where we see that it is one and the same God who enjoins us to follow His commandment and then specifies that this commandment is to love as He has loved us: by laying down His life for us. How can we doubt that His will for us is good and founded in love when we contemplate what He suffered for us in His Passion and Cross?
Lastly, it is also essential to consider that it is the very experience and recognition of such love which should motivate our observance of His will. Eventually, the goal is to come to a place where we follow God’s will not because of some rules but because we have come to know, trust, and experience His love and do not want to reject Him. Ultimately, if I only regard the commandments as something I must do, but fail to see the good will and love of the God who gives them to me, then they easily become burdensome and heavy to bear. Even though we are coming to the end of this Easter Season, let us take up again our contemplation of the Paschal Mystery of our Lord and ponder the depths of His love anew – the love He calls us to abide in by following His commandments.
Santiago Torres – St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta
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