The prescriptions of the law strengthen our free will to
act according to God’s plan for us. The first reading says, “Before a man are
life and death, good and evil, and whichever he chooses will be given to him.” Ordinarily,
one would expect that fear of death will make man choose life. However, the wisdom
of Sirach maintains that it is the knowledge of the great wisdom of God, His mighty
power, and His overshadowing presence that ought to incline our free will to
obey the Lord’s commandments. “The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him,
and He knows every deed of man.”
If keeping the commandments is a way we acknowledge God’s
wisdom and power, and align our free will to His holy Will, it implies that the
commandments put us in a relationship with God. Thus, we express this
relationship by obeying the commandments. In this way, the hidden wisdom of God
comes alive in us, and His plans and purposes begin to unfold through our
actions. This great wisdom of God remains hidden from those who do not keep the
commandments. The second reading says, “None of the rulers of this age
understood this; if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
Thus, in Jesus is revealed the perfect fulfilment of God’s will, and the
manifestation of His divine glory.
Let us meditate on how the cross of Jesus has become our
true guide when we come to the cross road of life. Jesus explains in the gospel
that He came to fulfill the law. He speaks ‘from Himself’ as the true authority
that directs our free will to the perfect fulfilment of the commandments. Jesus
leads us to have a righteousness that exceeds wordily standards, and which can
lead us to enter the kingdom of heaven. In Jesus, the commandments of the Lord
go beyond the ‘rule of life’ to ‘the way to eternal life.’ This new horizon of
the law or new standard of living becomes our way of living out the
righteousness of Jesus in our daily choices and actions. This new standard
ensures that every iota of the law is accomplished.
To accomplish the ultimate purpose of the law is eternal
life. That means the hope that inspires us to embrace the commandments is
greater than the precepts. “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart
of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” For the human free
will to respond to this hope that is beyond human comprehension, we look up to
Jesus, in whose righteousness we share. And by living out His righteousness, we
fulfill every iota of the law. This can be efficient and effective if with our
free will we begin to make friends with Jesus. If we freely align our free will
with Jesus in faith, it becomes easy for us to walk freely in the pathway of
life and goodness. As we live out the righteousness of Jesus, the blessings of
the kingdom of heaven shall be the footprints we leave behind, and eternal life
shall be our destination. Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Sunday 12th February, 2023
