Most of the time, we follow rules and regulations without knowing the deeper meaning or reason behind it especially when many also followed the regulations being imposed. An example of this is the laws of God. You may be thinking that you’re really following God’s law wholeheartedly. But in our gospel today Jesus gave us a deeper understanding about the law of God. At the very beginning of the gospel Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law of the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” for us not to get the wrong idea cause many may think that today’s Gospel is the new law of God and we don’t have to keep the old one. Jesus clarifies that He came to fulfill what is lacking from the teachings by the Scribes and Pharisees in the old covenant. Jesus also said, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees in the old covenant.

Jesus also said, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. “Why would Jesus tell us to exceed the righteousness of scribes and Pharisees? Because He wants us to follow the rule of love nor the rule of law. Find out how Jesus change our perspectives towards the law of God by some examples below: The law regarding murder was given emphasis first. It is written “Thou shalt not kill”. Maybe we probably haven’t killed anyone and hopefully never will, but that does not mean we are just as okay as far as this command goes? But this command applies as the heart level also Jesus tells us that whoever is angry with his brother will also face judgment. Jesus is addressing hatred to our neighbor as the root of all acts of harm or murder. So even if we haven’t done the actual deed of killing someone, we have all felt hatred for another person from which all the murder springs. God cares about our neighbor and therefore tells us not to harm them. The command is addressed to our neighbor as well because God cares about us. Through this commandment, God seeks protection to your life from the harm that others might bring.

It is also written “You shall not commit adultery”. Adultery is sin not just because of the emotional damage it can cause to someone’s spouse or the destruction of the marriage relationship that it can lead to, but because it is the breach of our covenant with God. Since it is impossible for God to break His covenant promises. But are we okay though if we haven’t literally cheated on our spouse? Well, no. Jesus says that lust is adultery in the heart. Like murder, adultery starts in and springs from the heart. We are closer to adultery than we thought. God wants us to reflect His faithfulness. And that means He is faithful. And for that we should be thankful. We can also thank the Lord for the healing that He is able to bring to relationships that have been crushed through unfaithfulness. If He is able to reconcile people to himself by forgiving them from their spiritual adultery, then He is also more than able to heal relationships that have been broken.

Our gospel today encourages us to take a deeper understanding of God’s law. May we also understand that God gave these laws so we can live in peace here on Earth. And always seek God’s wisdom so we will always choose to follow Him.

A reflection from the February 6th issue of the Neo Jeremiah Voice of the Young Prophet Newsletter of the St. Peregrine Laziosi Diocesan Shrine.