Freedom from obligation

Gospel: Mt 11:28-30

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121323.cfm

In Jesus’s time, religious leaders, such as the scribes and Pharisees, were focused on a strict interpretation of the law. They believed that the Roman occupation and other Jewish suffering were a consequence of not fully holding their end on the covenant with God. They thought that if the Jewish people followed the law better, God would show favor and return them to prosperity. For this reason, they monitored and corrected the behavior of others.

Jesus showed a different path that was not focused on scrutinizing individual actions and social behaviors for earthly salvation. In Matthew 5:45, Jesus tells us that “the sun rises on the bad on the good, and causes rain to full on the just and the unjust.” Good and bad things will happen, that’s part of existence. We are to free ourselves from a transactional understanding of God. What Jesus is calling us to do is love, not obsess over right and wrong actions. He calls us to love God, love our fellow human beings (including ourselves), and love creation. There is no need to burden yourself with the law. If you focus on love, the law will fulfill itself.

In this season, it is easy to get lost in obligations. There are a lot of considerations on what you should do or what you ought to do. We also judge others on what we think they should or should not be doing. Take a moment and ask yourself the source of these internal and external judgments. Are they truly motivated by or driven by love? Find a way to focus more on the love this season and how you want to show that to others; not on what you think you are obligated to do. Read the gospel again and imagine how you can put this into practice.