“God gave us free agency, and then gave us the commandments to keep us free.”

When someone asks him, "Which commandment in the Law is the greatest?" Jesus replies: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the prophets." The Decalogue must be interpreted in light of this twofold yet single commandment of love, the fullness of the Law. - Catechism of the Catholic Church (2055)

Gospel Text: (MT 5:17-19)
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

"Oh no! I don't follow the Old Testament anymore. That is obsolete. I am modern." - Does this sound familiar?

The ten commandments are still totally and completely binding on every human heart. Our age needs them more than ever. The only way to give these to the world are with people who faithfully live out the law - living witnesses - saints. "Whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven."

We are called to be saints of the ten commandments, who grow daily in the holy love of God. We are called to let this witness shine out in our families and to our friends, in our workplace and in the marketplace, in private and public, whether we are busy or at rest.

We can find a good explanation of today's Gospel in one of St. John's letters: «For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome» (1Jn 5:3). To keep God's commandments means that we truly love Jesus Christ through our deeds. Love is not only a feeling; love also wants deeds, deeds of love, to live the double precept of charity.

May Our Lady, the holy Mother of God and our Mother, help us to live the commandments and turn perpetually away from what is evil.