Fulfilling the Law

     Today’s Gospel reading (Mt. 5:17- 37) is one of such occasions where Jesus taught with authority unlike the Scribes and the Pharisees. He says that he did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill the Law. By fulfilling the Law, Jesus meant that he came to give us the proper interpretation of the Law. He became his own authority. This interpretation would not be based on the letters of the Law but on the spirit of the Law. 
     While the Scribes and the Pharisees were interested only in the act, Jesus went beyond the act. He was interested in the motive and the desire for sinful acts. He wanted to address the problem of sin from its root – the heart. For Jesus, evil thoughts form the background for evil deeds and the way to avoid evil deeds was to run away from evil thoughts. Evil thoughts are powered by energies, which the Church calls the Seven Capital Sins: anger, lust, envy, gluttony, pride, sloth, and greed. 
     What Jesus is saying is that in observing the commandments, actions could be deceptive, but the heart never lies. We may not kill, but we can harbor, in our hearts, ill feelings weighty enough to destroy someone. We may not commit adultery, but we can lust in our hearts. And instead of swearing or making false promises, sincerity of heart is enough. Our Yes or No should reflect the intentions of our hearts. 
     In making determinations on God’s laws, the heart makes use of the conscience. Conscience is the faculty which God puts in us to help us discern good and evil, as we read in today’s first reading. It is God’s spirit in us telling us to embrace virtue and warning us away from evil. A healthy conscience advises and commands virtuous deeds, but an unhealthy conscience does the opposite. When you have a healthy conscience and obey it, you experience ultimate happiness. So, a well-formed conscience is vital to our salvation. 
     Let us, therefore, guard against all forms of evil so that in our thoughts and actions, the Law will be properly fulfilled.