Law in the Heart
Today’s long gospel is… really long. The short version I just proclaimed is… short, but maybe not super clear. So, Let me explain… No, there is too much. Let me sum up: Righteousness is not about just following rules of behavior. It is about our heart.
Jesus tells us that our righteousness has to surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, or we will not enter the kingdom of heaven. We are used to hearing bad things about the Pharisees in the Gospels, but the Pharisees lived good and holy lives. They prayed three times a day, fasted twice a week, tithed faithfully, and lived their lives in strict obedience to the Jewish Law. Even Jesus told people they should obey what the Pharisees taught. From the outside, the Pharisees looked like they had all their stuff together.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t have all my stuff together. My “righteousness” doesn’t even come near the level of the Pharisees. They fasted more, prayed more, and tithed more than I do. They prayed something like eighteen different prayers three times a day. I think I’m doing pretty well if I don’t forget to pray the Rosary a few days of the week. And yet, Jesus says my righteousness has to exceed that of the Pharisees if I want to enter the kingdom of Heaven. How can that be?
It’s not a question of how, but rather a question of why.
Elsewhere, the Gospel tells us that the Pharisees trusted in their own righteousness, and looked down on others. Jesus tells us they loved to be noticed, honored and addressed by fancy titles. They did all their good deeds for others to see. What they did was good, but why they did it was entirely wrong.
The Jews spent a thousand years trying to understand and clarify the Law they received from Moses. They kept adding rules and regulations, hoping to perfectly follow the Law, and please God. Jesus does not add new rules and laws. He gives us the Gospel and the grace of the sacraments to change our hearts. It is in our hearts that we choose between the pure and the impure. It is in our hearts where faith, hope, and charity are formed, and give rise to all other virtue.
Jesus sums up the Law’s requirements for interacting with others in a single simple, but difficult commandment: love one another as he has loved us.
Neither a Pharisaical external righteousness, nor an empty sentimental love without action are sufficient. The only way our righteousness can surpass that of the Pharisees is if we do the right things out of love.
We are only about ten days from Ash Wednesday. If we are not already doing the right things – praying, fasting, and giving our time, talent, and treasure to help the poor and vulnerable among us, then that’s something we need to do. As Saint James puts it, we cannot simply say “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well.”
But it is not enough to “do the right stuff.” It is good and necessary, but it is not enough. It is our hearts that need to be transformed.
The bad news is, we can’t just “decide” to have a change of heart. In many ways, the transformation of our hearts is a gift. It is beyond our power. The good news is, God wants to give us that gift, and we can cooperate with God’s work.
The Catechism tells us “The New Law is the grace of the Holy Spirit given to the faithful through faith in Christ. It works through charity; it uses the Sermon on the Mount to teach us what must be done, and makes use of the sacraments to give us the grace to do it.” (CCC 1966)
The grace of the Sacrament of Baptism makes possible the impossible by making us children of God. The Eucharist gives us strength. The Sacrament of Penance restores us to a right relationship with God and the Church when we fail. So, first, we put our trust in God, and rely upon the grace of the Sacraments.
Along the way, we can give our own “fiat” to this work in us, just as our Blessed Mother did. One way to do that is to ask the Lord to change our hearts. In the Liturgy of the Hours, we pray Psalm 51 most Friday mornings. In that Psalm, we pray that God will create a clean heart in us, and renew in us a right spirit. Praying Psalm 51 on the Fridays of Lent might be a good way to invite God to change our hearts.
In addition to the grace of the sacraments and inviting God to work in our hearts, we can actively participate in God’s work.
When deciding what to do, we often list the pros and cons of each option. This will usually result in a good decision. But if I want to participate in God’s work to change my heart, I need to go deeper. LeRoy gave me a helpful tool for this job. Go deeper by asking the question: Why would I choose to do this?
This is not simply a restatement of the pros and cons. This is asking “why would I choose this?” “Why would I do this?” What motives of my heart would lead me to this decision?” Asking myself this question, and answering myself honestly, has proven to be a very good tool for cooperating with God’s work to transform my heart.
If we will frequent the sacraments, especially Penance, invite God to transform our hearts, and cooperate with God’s work in our hearts, then our righteousness can exceed that of the Pharisees, and we will rejoice in what God has prepared for us in the kingdom of heaven here on earth, and in the world to come.
