The Law of Love: Beyond Rules to the Heart’s Cry

Voice over by Esther Han

Rom 9:1-5, Psalm: 147, Lk 14:1-6

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

It is a very human tendency to prefer clear rules over messy relationships. We can sometimes be tempted to hide behind the safety of regulations, using them to avoid the demanding call of compassion. Today, the Word of God shatters this temptation, revealing that the ultimate fulfillment of the law is not found in rigid observance, but in a love that is willing to suffer and to heal.

In the Gospel, Jesus is once again under the watchful eyes of the Pharisees, this time at a Sabbath meal. Before Him is a man suffering from dropsy. The religious leaders see a theological test case; Jesus sees a suffering human being. He poses a piercing question that cuts to the heart of the matter: “Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath or not?” They remain silent, trapped in their own legalism. Jesus then heals the man and sends him on his way. His defense is simple and undeniable: “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” He appeals to the innate law of love written on every human heart. The Sabbath was made for man’s good and God’s glory, not as a barrier to mercy. True piety always serves the human person.

This same profound, self-giving love is what animates St. Paul in our first reading. He expresses an anguish so deep it is almost unimaginable. He says he has “great sorrow and constant anguish” in his heart. So great is his love for his fellow Jews who have not accepted Christ that he would even wish himself “accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people.” This is a love that mirrors the love of Christ Himself—a love willing to be condemned for the salvation of others. Paul recognizes the profound gifts given to Israel—the adoption, the covenants, the law, the worship, the promises, and the very lineage of Christ. His heart breaks that they do not see the fulfillment of these gifts in Jesus.

Herein lies the powerful connection. The Pharisees’ rigid interpretation of the law had hardened their hearts to the point where they could watch a man suffer and see only a legal problem. Paul, filled with the Spirit of Christ, embodies the law’s true purpose: a love so total it desires salvation for others above one’s own.

For us, the challenge is clear. Where in our lives have we allowed rules, traditions, or even our own sense of “how things should be” to blind us to the suffering person right in front of us? Do we prioritize liturgical correctness over welcoming a stranger? Do we cling to social or political labels that prevent us from seeing the image of God in those who disagree with us?

The comfort today is that God does not love us with a cold, legalistic love. He loves us with the passionate, heartbroken love of Paul and the compassionate, healing love of Jesus. He constantly seeks to draw us out of the cisterns of our sin and suffering.

As St. Augustine taught, “Love, and do what you will.” When love for God and neighbor is our primary compass, our actions will naturally align with His will. Let us ask for the grace to be healed of our own hardness of heart, so that we may become instruments of God’s merciful love, always choosing the person over the rule, and mercy over judgment. Amen.