I really enjoy watching reruns of Law & Order; especially the programs from the 1990s with Jerry Orbach playing the role of Detective Lennie Briscoe. What I appreciate about Law & Order is its realistic portrayal of the struggles people in the criminal justice system experience every day. What is clear in these programs is that law is an organic and constantly changing entity. The good guys don't always win, the defense and prosecution teams often must compromise, juries are unpredictable, and interpretation of the law is a challenge. The biggest struggles appear to be between human intent and the spirit of the law. An issue that often seems to hang in the balance besides guilt or innocence is that of compassion and mercy.
The kingdom of heaven has laws too. They are the Ten Commandments and the Laws of Moses found in the first five books of the Old Testament. The kingdom of heaven also has traditions that infuse all scripture. In today's gospel, Matthew 5:17-37, Jesus tells his disciples and he tells us that he came to fulfill the law and the words of the prophets. He proposes a new order, a new way of looking at the world built on what came before. His fulfillment of the law sets a new precedent.
In the kingdom of heaven, it is not good enough for us to observe the letter of the law like the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus asks us to embrace the Spirit of the law, to look beyond the actual words and internalize the values that underpin the law. The law says, “you shall not kill.” Jesus says control your anger, the emotion that often causes killing. Do not demean other people by calling them fool or imbecile. Do not let anger and hatred destroy your relationships. If we carry hatred in our hearts, we exclude ourselves from the kingdom as we read in 1 John 3:15, “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.” Seek reconciliation with your brothers and sisters. And finally, remember that in the end we must be ready to undergo the scrutiny of the Spirit of God as St. Paul tells us in our 2nd reading today, “For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10).
Lord God, loving Father,
in your Son Jesus you have shown us
how we should seek and fulfil your loving will.
Dispose us to respond to your love
from the depth of our heart
and to be faithful to you in all we do.
Help us be respectful of one another
and attentive to the needs of people,
even when they remain indifferent and thankless,
that we may help to ban evil from this world
and bring to it your love and mercy.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
in your Son Jesus you have shown us
how we should seek and fulfil your loving will.
Dispose us to respond to your love
from the depth of our heart
and to be faithful to you in all we do.
Help us be respectful of one another
and attentive to the needs of people,
even when they remain indifferent and thankless,
that we may help to ban evil from this world
and bring to it your love and mercy.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
