Fulfilling the law of love

 

Sunday 15 February 2026

 Lectio Divina:*

Ecclesiasticus 15:15-20

Psalm 118 (119):1-34

1 Corinthians 2:6-10

Matthew 5:17-37

 

Meditatio:

“Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.’ (Matthew 5:37)

Commentary:

Following the opening of the Sermon on the Mount with the eight Beatitudes, Matthew now presents Jesus’ elaboration of the Law of the Gospel. The “New Law” is not, strictly speaking, different from the “Old Law.” The Law is — and always has been — the Law of Love: to love God with all our heart and mind, and to love the person beside us as ourselves. This Law must be written on our hearts by its Author, who sent His Son to show us what love truly entails.

In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses four substantial issues: anger, adultery and lust, divorce, and the swearing of oaths. While the prohibition on oath‑taking has been largely set aside by Christians (there is always a convenient exegetical escape hatch…), the first three continue to shape public discourse and Christian engagement with it. Judging by the space devoted to them in many church publications, one might imagine the Gospels are primarily concerned with sex. Yet the Scriptures — and the life and teaching of Jesus — are remarkably “disappointing” on that front. Their central concern is truth, justice, mercy, and the inclusion of the outcast. Still, matters of sexuality and fidelity are undeniably important to us and to generations who have received Jesus’ teaching.

An Executive Summary

Beneath the Sermon on the Mount, and beneath the Ten Commandments (two of which are explicitly treated in this passage), lies the universal, comprehensive, and demanding command to

Everything else — including Jesus’ teaching on adultery and divorce — grows from these foundational, non‑negotiable principles.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ (Matthew 22:37)

You shall love your neighbour as yourself. (Matthew 22:39)

This unity extends beyond the boundaries of sacrament and explicit belief. In a mysterious way, the Risen Christ is united to all humanity. What is done to one is done to all — and to God in all. Adolf Hitler did not merely murder six million Jews; he murdered one Jew six million times. When one child — born or unborn — or one man or woman is killed or abandoned, we are all diminished, because humanity is interwoven.

An Old Law

Matthew, reflecting the concerns of his community, emphasises the continuity between Jesus and the Jewish Law. Jesus fulfils the Law not by abolishing it but by bringing it to its deepest clarity. The two great commandments He cites come straight from the Torah:

‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might’ (Deuteronomy 6:5)

‘…you shall love your neighbour as yourself ‘ (Leviticus 19:18)

In this sense, Jesus brings nothing essentially new to the foundations. What is new is His revelation of Himself as the unique way to salvation, and the invitation to live the Law of Love through faith in Him. In John’s Gospel and the Johannine letters, these commandments are raised to a level of reciprocal, communal love rooted in the Trinity –  leaving no room for an individualistic Christian ethic. We are bound together in one faith and one love, in all the richness and complexity of life.

From 613 precepts in the Pentateuch — many of which Jesus did not observe (ritual purity laws, for example) — the tradition moves to ten commandments, and from ten to two.

Jesus goes to the roots of murder, deceit, infidelity, and theft. The roots lie in desires and fears that corrode relationships of love. A recurring thought or obsession is like a seed: if watered and indulged, it becomes a weed whose roots grow deep. If we are serious about observing God’s Law, we must go to the roots within us. This is where deep repentance, surrender, and the reception of mercy can make a vital difference — even save lives.

Faithfulness, Marriage, and the Challenges of Today

Questions of fidelity, marriage, divorce, and remarriage challenge Christians everywhere, including here in Ireland. Perhaps for that reason many preachers avoid the topic. Few of us do not know someone who has endured the pain of marital breakdown. Approaching these matters with love, humility, and fairness is difficult. Someone has been hurt — often deeply — and this must be acknowledged.

We have moved, in a relatively short time, from a culture of strict prohibition (on contraception, divorce, homosexuality, abortion) to one in which “anything goes.” In our faith communities, we must return to the four classic principles of a broad catholic discernment:

• Scripture

• Tradition

• Reason

• Experience

Not in a spirit of individualism or “I know best,” but in a spirit of dialogue, respect, freedom of conscience, and fidelity to God’s Word. This is not an easy journey. Some reflections on this can be found in a previous Sunday blog, [How do we respond when relationships fail?]

We do well to sit together at the feet of Jesus on the mountainside, listening to His words -  ever old and ever new -  transforming our minds and hearts in a fascinating yet troubled world.