6th Sunday of Easter - May 29, 2011: Understanding the Ten Commandments

Click Here for the Mass Readings for the 6th Sunday of Easter - May 29, 2011 (Year A):

"Jesus said to his disciples: 'If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth...'" (Jn 14: 15-17)

During His earthly sojourn, Jesus insisted at every turn that His disciples keep His Commandments.  But what are the Ten Commandments all about?  How does the Bible and the Church understand them?  Is it simply a matter of obeying a "you shall" and "you shall not" list, or is there a deeper meaning to the God's Commandments?  These are excellent questions so it's imperative we have a correct answer for them - as an improper or incomplete understanding of the Commandments can leave us with a distorted perception of God, and therefore negatively impact the way we live and pray.  Fortunately the readings for this 6th Sunday of Easter draw our attention to the Commandments, and thereby offer us the opportunity to reflect on them in the light of Christ.

Let's turn immediately to the opening sentence to this Sunday's Gospel: "Jesus said to his disciples: 'If you love me, you will keep my commandments.'"  (Jn 14:15)  The first point is simple - the Commandments do not stand in isolation as a difficult "to do list", rather, they are intimately connected to a personal love for God.  We see this same connection with love at the end of the Gospel reading: "whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me."  (Jn 14:21)

But there is more to this Gospel passage than a simple connection of words.  There is also context.  In between the two exhortations to observe the Commandments are 5 verses that constitute the heart of the Commandments - and the supreme source of all love.  If you look at the quote at the top of this post, you will see that Jesus speaks of "another Advocate" who will be with us always - the Holy Spirit.  He then proceeds to reassure us that "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you," and that "I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you."  So from the very context of this Gospel reading we see that the call to observe the Commandments is "filled in" with God - with Love itself who promises to be with us always.  To live the Commandments faithfully and fully requires God's presence.  Scripture never presents the Commandments as a "do-it-yourself" project, nor as the first step of discipleship.  The Commandments are always presented as a response to the Lord's gracious love, to His initiative, and His saving action.  Faithful adherence to the Lord's commands therefore comes from the strength of God's love in our lives, and is our loving response to the Lord - our way of saying "I belong to you, Lord: heart, soul, mind, and body."  And this is why carving out time each day to cultivate a real, living relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for everyone.  Without those relationships the Christian life is impossible.

Finally, we also know that God's Commandments require sacrifice on our part - as all true love does.  The Commandments stand in direct opposition to all forms of selfish "love", and to the traces of "the world, the flesh, and the devil" present in our hearts.  But once again, the love of God revealed to us and present within us, constitutes the core source of our strength to say "yes" to God in times of temptation and trial.  We would do well to remember that temptation is not only about saying "no" to sin, but an opportunity to say "yes" once again to God's love.  God does not desire us to live the Commandments in a vacuum, but filled with His presence and love.  May our understanding and appreciation for the Commandments continue to grow, and may we discover greater faithfulness through little acts of love.  God bless you!

(Photo of "Christ Appears to Mary Magdalene" courtesy of Dcn. Lawrence Lew, O.P.)