Law and Discernment

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to ponder if the approach we take to Laws and Commandments are blindly observant or overly self satisfying.

Law and Love

The Reading from the Book of Deuteronomy proclaims Advantages of Fidelity.

* [4:10] Fear: not in the sense of “be terrified,” but rather “manifest reverence or awe.” (Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 147 praises the holy city to recognize it has been re-created and made the place of disclosure for God’s word, a word as life-giving as water.

* [Psalm 147] The hymn is divided into three sections by the calls to praise in Ps 147:1, 7, 12. The first section praises the powerful creator who restores exiled Judah (Ps 147:1–6); the second section, the creator who provides food to animals and human beings; the third and climactic section exhorts the holy city to recognize it has been re-created and made the place of disclosure for God’s word, a word as life-giving as water. (Psalms, PSALM 147 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents Teaching About the Law.

* [5:17–20] This statement of Jesus’ position concerning the Mosaic law is composed of traditional material from Matthew’s sermon documentation (see note on Mt 5:1–7:29), other Q material (cf. Mt 18; Lk 16:17), and the evangelist’s own editorial touches. To fulfill the law appears at first to mean a literal enforcement of the law in the least detail: until heaven and earth pass away nothing of the law will pass (Mt 5:18). Yet the “passing away” of heaven and earth is not necessarily the end of the world understood, as in much apocalyptic literature, as the dissolution of the existing universe. The “turning of the ages” comes with the apocalyptic event of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and those to whom this gospel is addressed are living in the new and final age, prophesied by Isaiah as the time of “new heavens and a new earth” (Is 65:17; 66:22). Meanwhile, during Jesus’ ministry when the kingdom is already breaking in, his mission remains within the framework of the law, though with significant anticipation of the age to come, as the following antitheses (Mt 5:21–48) show.

* [5:19] Probably these commandments means those of the Mosaic law. But this is an interim ethic “until heaven and earth pass away.” (Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Larry Hopp urges us to spend time drawing closer to Him and His Word – which is the profound answer to our world’s troubles.

Dear Heavenly Father, we all seek your blessings and guidance.  Your absolute truth provides all that we need to follow you and to experience your incredible blessings.  Help us to overcome whatever might stand in the way of our growing closer to you and faithfully following all that you have taught us.  In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen (Hopp, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Making daily progress towards God,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"As Christians, our task is to make daily progress toward God. Our pilgrimage on earth is a school in which God is the only teacher, and it demands good students, not ones who play truant. In this school we learn something every day. We learn something from the commandments, something from examples, and something from Sacraments. These things are remedies for our wounds and materials for our studies." (excerpt from Sermon 16A,1) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes that in Deuteronomy Moses calls upon the people to follow the laws and avoid errors in understanding to placate the gods of the ancient world. If you broke the rules in ignorance, you were guilty. God told Israel exactly what was required of them. Matthew who was writing for Jewish Christians shows Jesus did not tell people to reject the Law but to fulfill it. In contrast, the teaching of Paul that we really don’t have to follow the law when we are acting with love was the influence in the majority of the Church of mostly Gentile Christians. Friar Jude notes that the Gentile Christians accepted Pau’s words rather than Matthew’s instruction. 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9 asks who hasn’t struggled to keep the commandments? Who hasn’t bristled at their restrictions when we find it difficult to obey them, and even begin to resent the God who gave them to us?

God’s commands are a blessing and a protection for us—they guide us and help us to stay close to him. As the psalmist prayed, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). So set your heart on obeying the Lord’s commands today. He will give you strength and grace to abide by them. And when you do fall short, he will mercifully forgive you. What a great God we have!

“Father, thank you for the wisdom of your law.” (Meditation on Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9, n.d.)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Father Greg Boyle who considers how many of the evils we witness today reflect the consequences of our painful disconnection from the God of love. He endlessly tells gang members that the God of love doesn’t see sin. Our God sees son (and daughter). “I believe that sin has no substance,” Julian of Norwich writes, “not a particle of being.” Then she says, “With all due respect to Mother Church … but this does not line up.” She couldn’t get sin to align with her God of love.

Boyle suggests a shift in emphasis when it comes to behavior:

The moral quest has never kept us moral; it’s just kept us from each other. So maybe we should abandon the moral quest, since it’s an Old World map, and embrace instead the journey to wholeness, flourishing love, and defiant joy. We don’t want to end up in Mesopotamia. Yes, we want to do the next right thing, but what is the next right thing and who is able to choose it? Only the healthy person can. So we help each other, not to make better choices but to walk home to well-being and deeper growth in love. (Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the Spirit to guide our understanding and observance of the Law in the light of the Law of Love as lived by Jesus.

References

Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/4?1 

Hopp, L. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. On line Ministries. Retrieved March 11, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-march-11-2026 

Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5?17 

Meditation on Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved March 11, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/03/10/1515595/ 

Psalms, PSALM 147 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/147?12 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Healing Acts of Connection. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 11, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/healing-acts-of-connection/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Whoever Relaxes One of the Commandments. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 11, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Providence Prayer and Forgiveness

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary invite us to seek and accept the support of God through prayer and forgiveness of our debts as we also forgive our debtors.

Prayer for Forgiveness

The Reading from the Book of Daniel proclaims the Prayer of Azariah

* [3:24–90] These verses are additions to the Aramaic text of Daniel, translated from the Greek form of the book. They were probably first composed in Hebrew or Aramaic, but are no longer extant in the original language. The Roman Catholic Church has always regarded them as part of the canonical Scriptures.

* [3:25] Azariah: i.e., Abednego; cf. Dn 1:7. (“Daniel, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB,” n.d.)

Psalm 25 mixes ardent pleas with expressions of confidence in God.

* [Psalm 25] A lament. Each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Such acrostic Psalms are often a series of statements only loosely connected. The psalmist mixes ardent pleas (Ps 25:1–2, 16–22) with expressions of confidence in God who forgives and guides. (“Psalms, PSALM 25 | USCCB,” n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches forgiveness with The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.

* [18:21–35] The final section of the discourse deals with the forgiveness that the disciples are to give to their fellow disciples who sin against them. To the question of Peter how often forgiveness is to be granted (Mt 18:21), Jesus answers that it is to be given without limit (Mt 18:22) and illustrates this with the parable of the unmerciful servant (Mt 18:23–34), warning that his heavenly Father will give those who do not forgive the same treatment as that given to the unmerciful servant (Mt 18:35). Mt 18:21–22 correspond to Lk 17:4; the parable and the final warning are peculiar to Matthew. That the parable did not originally belong to this context is suggested by the fact that it really does not deal with repeated forgiveness, which is the point of Peter’s question and Jesus’ reply.

* [18:22] Seventy-seven times: the Greek corresponds exactly to the LXX of Gn 4:24. There is probably an allusion, by contrast, to the limitless vengeance of Lamech in the Genesis text. In any case, what is demanded of the disciples is limitless forgiveness.

* [18:24] A huge amount: literally, “ten thousand talents.” The talent was a unit of coinage of high but varying value depending on its metal (gold, silver, copper) and its place of origin. It is mentioned in the New Testament only here and in Mt 25:14–30.

* [18:26] Pay you back in full: an empty promise, given the size of the debt.

* [18:28] A much smaller amount: literally, “a hundred denarii.” A denarius was the normal daily wage of a laborer. The difference between the two debts is enormous and brings out the absurdity of the conduct of the Christian who has received the great forgiveness of God and yet refuses to forgive the relatively minor offenses done to him.

* [18:34] Since the debt is so great as to be unpayable, the punishment will be endless.

* [18:35] The Father’s forgiveness, already given, will be withdrawn at the final judgment for those who have not imitated his forgiveness by their own. (“Matthew, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB,” n.d.)

Kimberly Grassmeyer shares thoughts about Jesus telling us that we must forgive our brethren not seven times, but seventy-seven times, as in today’s Gospel lesson.

Forgiveness asks only that we clear OUR hearts.  The ‘other’ then has their own decision to make, in terms of what they choose to do with our forgiveness.

Jesus wants to help us clear our hearts of such pain.  God’s promise of love is actualized when we can lay down the burden of anger, hatred, or frustration, even when the pain of a physical loss, injury, or death are the outcome requiring a compassionate response. NOT forgiving can deepen and prolong the pain we already carry.  True forgiveness can heal it.  Jesus is asking us to forgive, always, as he so eloquently did on the Cross.  I pray that with God’s help, I’ll be able to meet that call each and every time. Amen. (Grassmeyer, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “A daily remedy for our sins,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors. Let us say this sentence with sincerity, because it is an alms in itself. Sins that oppress and bury us cannot be termed trifles! What is more minute than drops of rain? Yet they fill the rivers. What is more minute than grains of wheat? Yet they fill the barns. You note the fact that these sins are rather small, but you do not take note that there are many of them. In any case, God has given us a daily remedy for them." (excerpt from Sermon 205,1) (Schwager, n.d.)

 

Friar Jude Winkler notes the hymn in the Book of Daniel is proclaimed when the young men including Azariah are thrown into the furnace and need God’s intervention. In Matthew’s Gospel, Peter asks about forgiving an infinite number of times and Jesus cites that there is no limit for forgiveness. God has forgiven us and we forgive others because of their need and we recognize their brokenness. Friar Jude comments that we may have to keep some toxic people at arm’s length. He cites the observation that resentment is poison for us as Nelson Mandella knew and warned us against.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Daniel 3:25, 34-43 comments that in this dangerous situation, Azariah does what he has always done, in good times and bad: he turns to the Lord and prays. His habit of praying in every situation has become so ingrained in him that he naturally turns to prayer even in the most dire circumstances. So let’s use this prayer as a model for ourselves.

Like Azariah, we should always start our prayer with God himself.

Like Azariah, we should confess our wrongdoing and repent for ourselves and on behalf of God’s people.

Third, Azariah promises that Israel will “follow [God] unreservedly.” 

Finally, Azariah asks God to bless his people. 

May we all follow Azariah’s example as we come to the Lord in prayer in good times and in bad!

“Lord, teach me to pray, especially when it is difficult.” (“Meditation on Daniel 3:25, 34-43,” n.d.)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Author Barbara Brown Taylor who describes the suffering we experience when we live from a sense of disconnection.

Repentance begins with the decision to return to relationship: to accept our God-given place in community, and to choose a way of life that increases life for all members of that community. Needless to say, this often involves painful changes, which is why most of us prefer remorse to repentance. We would rather say, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I feel really, really awful about what I have done” than actually start doing things differently.…

“All sins are attempts to fill voids,” wrote the French philosopher Simone Weil. Because we cannot stand the God-shaped hole inside of us, we try stuffing it full of all sorts of things, but it refuses to be filled. It rejects all substitutes…. It is the holy of holies inside of us, which only God may fill….

I do not believe that sin is the enemy we often make it out to be, at least not when we recognize it and name it as such. When we see how we have turned away from God, then and only then do we have what we need to begin turning back. Sin is our only hope, the fire alarm that wakes us up to the possibility of true repentance. (Rohr, 2025)

We ask the Spirit to guide our wisdom in our prayer, contemplation, and action to understand and act to be people of freedom through forgiveness.

References

Daniel, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/daniel/3?25 

Grassmeyer, K. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved March 10, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-march-10-2026 

Matthew, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/18?21 

Meditation on Daniel 3:25, 34-43. (n.d.). Word Among Us. https://wau.org/meditations/2026/03/10/1515595/ 

Psalms, PSALM 25 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/25?4 

Rohr, R. (2025, March 13). Disconnected Living. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 10, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/disconnected-living/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). How Often Shall I Forgive? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 10, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/