fLaws in faith

     Adherence to the law is an interesting thing. Jesus himself said that he was not here to abolish the law.  Jesus said he was the fulfillment of the law. I always found that interesting because it seemed to me that in adding those two great commandments, it was more challenging to honour the original Ten. I've said countless times before, now we must look at those Ten with the light of love. We have to use our consciences and think about what killing is. Adultery is more than an act, it could be an ongoing internal fantasy. Lies are not just blatant lies, they are also half-truths, omissions and 'white lies' that we may have convinced ourselves we can get away with. It's not really a lie, is it?

     But we also know Jesus railed vehemently against the  Pharisees who created such a mountain of laws that virtually no one could follow.  So although Jesus is fulfilling the law, he is saying there is something more important. His love, law tempered with love and most importantly faith. Faith is one of those tricky words too. Like those two great commandments that make the first Ten just a wee bit harder to follow, Faith is an action word.  It is not enough to say I believe because true faith calls us to real actions of love, caring and commitment.

      The poor rich chap who approached Jesus and proclaimed that he followed all the laws and asked what more did he need to do to be saved. Jesus' answer is for him to give away everything he owned. Yikes!  So it is not about fulfilling every detail of legal minutia. What we are called to is faith and actions of love.

       What I truly find troubling is the subversion of God's word, the cherry picking of Scripture and lies and sin justified by 'faith'. This is so rampant today in religious political zealots whose agenda is not God's but their own will and political gain.

       The true faith is one that calls people to loving action, even political action but based on an inclusive and fervent love of everyone as their brother. This is why Martin Luther King Jr. had power. It was not his power but HIS power. He held truth to political power. He held truth to bastardizations of scripture that held people down. He held truth to power that kept systems in place that perpetuated evil.

        When we claim we have faith, even the smallest seed of faith, faith the size of a mustard seed, we are stepping up to the plate of action. We are putting Jesus' love into action. How are you doing that today? This Lent? For your life, literally, for your life?