Posted by The WORD in other words (2006) by Frater Felmar Fiel SVD – Divine Word Seminary of Tagaytay
Friday 15th Week in Ordinary Time
Rules and regulations are of great benefit to us. They promote social order and serve as indispensable aids for creatively ordering our lives. Yet, while these laws are beneficial, they can sometimes become burdensome. This was the fault of the Pharisees, who criticized Jesus’ disciples for picking grain on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1–2).
We too are not spared from this tendency. At times, we focus so much on the strict implementation of rules that our life-giving relationships are diminished.
I recall my kindergarten teacher, who was a terror to us children. Her rule was that anyone who failed to memorize the previous day’s lesson had to sit on a chair in front of the class until everyone could recite. One day, she asked us to recite the seven days of the week. The result was terrible—almost three-fourths of the class was punished. Everyone hated her for that.
This experience reminds me that rigid enforcement of rules can crush the spirit rather than nurture growth.
Jesus clearly points out that scrupulous enforcement of the law to the letter can restrain the spirit of the law. He asserts the importance of human life over the Sabbath: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). Above all, He shows that what truly pleases God is charity—charity that acts immediately and does not delay. As Scripture says: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6; Matthew 9:13).
Rules are necessary, but they must always serve love. When law becomes an end in itself, it loses its life-giving purpose. True discipleship means balancing order with compassion, justice with mercy, and discipline with charity.
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