It was reported in one of our department meetings that there were some ambulant vendors within our campus. They were selling lunch to our office staff. Upon knowing this, we issued a memo prohibiting them from doing such business on our campus. We did so, not because they would unjustly deprive our food concessionaires in the canteen from having potential customers, but in order to protect the persons within our campus. Our personnel may be exposed to the danger of food poisoning since we have no supervision over the food preparation of these ambulant vendors. The laws are set to protect and promote the welfare of persons rather than to accuse them.
In the Gospel, Christ spoke about the fulfillment of the laws and the prophets. But he did not mean the fulfillment of the 613 laws the Jews and Pharisees had made out of the 10 commandments of God. These 613 laws that gave emphasis on the rigorous fulfillment of the 10 commandments have overburdened the people, so much so that they missed out the spirit of the laws of God. Christ summarized the 10 commandments of God into two laws governed by one ultimate law: Love of God and love of neighbor ruled by the law of Love. As Christ preached about the fulfillment of the laws and the prophets, He was pertaining to the introduction of love which was rather missing in the Jewish laws. Love is the rightful intention and spirit of the commandments of God. Love is greater than any precepts man can craft. This love is what Christ wanted to fulfill. He did so through His passion, death, and resurrection: the greatest expression of God's love for man, setting for us the ultimate law of love that should direct our life.
As children of God, we are to abide by the commandments of God and keep our neighbors and members of our community in doing so. We are a church, a community, and a family after all, who swore to keep each other. But how do we fulfill the laws and the commandments of God among us? Are we the rigorous type of people who make sure the laws are observed to the letter? Do we desire to implement the laws so that we may prosecute those who break it, or because we desire to protect them or to love them? Christ is our model and inspiration. He desires that the spirit of the law be fulfilled; that love may reign between us, lest we become like the Pharisees. Christ’s act of perfecting the law of love through His paschal mystery should strengthen us in fulfilling the law given to us; in fulfilling our mission as children of God. This is possible if we take Christ as the head of our body; of our community. This is possible as we take love as the ultimate law that will govern our life and our community.
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