GOSPEL COMMENTARY Feb. 12, Mt 5:17-37
If you’ve ever enjoyed the comedy of a kindergarten soccer game, you know that, regardless of their passion, the pint-sized athletes often need to be reminded of the rules of the game. Invariably, the finer points elude them — such as which goal is their own. A good coach patiently explains the rules again and again, but also tries to guide them beyond those rules to the true enjoyment of the game. After all, rules are important, but the game is more than rules.
Something similar happens in our Gospel today (Mt 5:17-37), wherein Our Lord tells us: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.”
It’s true, life and faith in Jesus is indeed a game changer, just not in the sense that some imagine. Jesus reminds us that he hasn’t come to change any essential moral rules, but rather encourages us to respect those rules and find a new way to play, with a new heart and a new spirit.
Christ makes this clear by doing something that would have shocked his Jewish listeners: He reinterprets the law with divine authority. “You have heard it said … but I say to you … ” Only God would dare add to the law with “I say to you.” Each subsequent example he chooses takes a deep dive into the law and shows how its fulfillment in faith is much more than exterior observance. It’s about interior conversion and renewal, which is possible only through the renovation of the Holy Spirit. In order to change our actions, we need to change our hearts and minds, which requires the cross: a life of self-sacrifice and self-gift enlivened by grace. It also highlights just how much we need a Savior to help us in this.
While our faith is certainly more than a game, the general concept here is as true for sports as it is for faith. In sports, we need the rules to the game to know how to play. They set the conditions for fair play and for enjoyment to emerge. Yet, no one in their right mind would argue that soccer is only about observing the rules, or that mere rule-following makes someone a good player. More to the point, someone who reduces a sport to rule-following is likely to miss out on those things that make it all worthwhile: the teamwork, the strategy, the exercise and the fun.
Too often, we can fall into the trap of thinking that our faith is just rule-following to make us “good people.” Here, we’re reminded that following Christ isn’t merely about “not killing” or “not stealing” or just sitting in a particular building for an hour on Sunday. Jesus rekindles our hearts and minds to the much larger positive and interior aspect: We’re supposed to love our neighbor, respect his property and worship God. It’s about coming to life in faith, hope, and love, which is a whole different and much more fulfilling way to play the game.
One final note: as we continue to grow in Christ and become like him, living our faith well in the true spirit of the game, the rules fade into the background. Unlike kindergartners, no one needs to remind World Cup players not to pick up the ball with their hands. Likewise, someone who lives in a spirit of honesty has no need to be told to avoid lying. Someone in love with God has no need to be reminded to worship. As we fulfill the law in Christ, our need to be reminded of it and our focus on it fades away. To one who is alive in the love of God, following the law is second nature. Thus, we ask Our Lord to continue to coach and shape our hearts to enter our faith with a joy and passion than transcends the joy of any game we know: living and worshipping in Spirit and in truth.
Fr. Miserendino is parochial vicar of St. Bernadette Church in Springfield.
Corpus Christi