Homily: March 6, 2024, Wednesday of the Third week in Lent (Laws)

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 “Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, 'This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’”

In today’s first reading, Moses exhorts the people of Israel to be carefully obedient to God’s Law. It is emphasized that if they remain faithful to these statutes, they will be a great nation, ‘truly a wise and intelligent people’.

We know how the story developed after this - they became arrogant, rebellious, and disobedient to God, their glory did not last, eventually they ended up in exile and slavery.

By nature, humans have been gifted with free will, and thus we do not like to be controlled, restricted, or bound by rules and laws. Yet, without boundaries, society or community will be in chaos. Everyone will be doing as they wish, there will be no order.

Thus, laws are everywhere – in the church, in school, in every country, even in the family. It seems like we have no real freedom, we are all bound by one law or another.

I grew up in a large family. There were seven of us children, my parents and my grandparents, so there were eleven members in the house. And to run this household meaningfully, our parents set many rules for all aspects of our family life: family prayer, household chores, work on the farm, behavior at home, in church, in school, including money matters, and more.

And guess what? I was the disobedient, rebellious, rule-breaker in the family. I was always eager to test every rule and push the limit. So, you can imagine how very often I get disciplined and punished. I finally learnt to be submissive and obedient when I entered the seminary. God knew how to tame me.

Our parents set rules because they loved the family. They knew with rules and boundaries, everyone will live in harmony and life will be ordered and not wild. They wanted us to get the best out of life and not become failures. Psychologists have found that meaningful but firm boundaries help children thrive in feeling secure and a sense of emotional stability.

When God gave His rules and statutes, He probably had the same intentions. As a loving Father, He wanted His children to live life to the fullest, attain true inner peace and a deep sense of spiritual well-being. His laws are not meant to suppress or oppress but are meant to shape us into ‘wise and intelligent’ people.

God’s laws and commandments passed down through the church will free us from the slavery of sin, helping us live in true freedom. So, let us observe them carefully. Amen.


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