Reflection
Being legalistic is easy. It makes everything black and white. Didn’t Jesus say to follow every letter of the law? Then let’s do it. No need to place ourselves in another’s shoes or to grow in love. No need to explore the purpose behind the law, or what our legalism does to us as human beings. No need for compassion or flexibility in application.
I’m reminded of a time in the second month of my first pregnancy. We were in the car about an hour from home when I started bleeding and cramping. My husband turned around and sped toward the hospital. Five minutes later an officer pulled us over. Despite our explanation, he gave my husband a ticket and told him to tell it to the judge. We got to the hospital, and I had a miscarriage that night. The next day, the judge threw out the ticket and said he couldn’t believe the officer could be so cold and legalistic.
Today, there are many people, religious figures, politicians, and pundits who would congratulate the officer, even citing this passage to illustrate that he was just obeying Jesus and following the law. For them, the highest goal is enforcing the strictest measure of the law, even at the risk of denying the human dignity and compassion due the offenders.
Yet concentrating only on that passage without considering the rest of the Gospel clearly goes against everything Jesus stood for. Despite these words, Jesus himself was anything but legalistic. He personally broke established laws regularly and got into trouble for going against the authorities, always citing a higher law or a more encompassing principle behind the laws, such as unconditional love, healing, and pastoral compassion.
At the very least, we need to ask ourselves whether we work tirelessly to promote the legal aspects of our faith or whether most of our efforts focus on ensuring that the justice Jesus longed for is extended to all people, especially those who are marginalized, poor, and in need. It’s challenging because these are not all either-or situations. Just as Jesus did, we need to balance the necessity and value of rightful laws and authority with the equal necessity for compassion, acceptance, and love.
Look around you today. How are we doing? What can we do better? How are you doing? What can you do better? That’s the true question behind these readings.
