Love is superior to law, Pope tells congregation
October 31, 2014
For Christians, laws must be subordinate to love, Pope Francis told his congregation at a morning Mass on October 31.
Commenting on the day’s Gospel reading, in which Jesus questioned the Pharisees about whether it is right to heal on the Sabbath, the Pope said that the Pharisees were focused on the law to the exclusion of more important things: “They followed the laws and they neglected justice. They followed the laws and they neglected love.”
Because of that attitude, the Holy Father continued, the Pharisees “were always closing the doorway to hope, love, and salvation.” A religious attitude based on law, he said, is self-centered rather than self-giving. The Pope said that love for the law should itself be based on love of God, so that it is not sterile. He said: “The path that leads from love to knowledge and discernment, to total fulfilment, leads to holiness, salvation and the encounter with Jesus.”
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Posted by: christhavemercy821235 -
Nov. 03, 2014 4:57 AM ET USA
True love fulfils all laws and elevate and transform laws. That is why our Blessed Lord told us "It was said....but I tell you...". And one of the laws he abolished is allowing divorce because that is not the intention of the Creation. So in that sense Pope Francis was right, True Love is above laws.
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Posted by: feedback -
Nov. 01, 2014 4:34 PM ET USA
Law can be completely separated from charity and thus become sinful. Church people who strictly "follow the law" but without charity terribly deceive themselves in the process. Ideally the Law (The Commandments, Canon Law, The Catechism) is always in the service of love, or else our love could become just a warm and fuzzy feeling. Canon 1752: "the salvation of souls must always be the SUPREME law in the Church."
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Posted by: shrink -
Nov. 01, 2014 2:20 PM ET USA
Love is superior to some positive law, but Love is not superior to the New Law, or the Eternal Law. I think that Francis has inspired me to study St Thomas and his treatise on law. (Summa Theologica I-II Q90 - Q107). Therein I find lots of distinctions, and all of them are important. I found Q107 particularly illuminating, for example Article 1: Whether the New Law ought to prescribe or prohibit any external acts?
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Posted by: the.dymeks9646 -
Nov. 01, 2014 8:53 AM ET USA
The Pharisees bigger mistake was that they didn't" grasp who they were speaking with - the word and law incarnate.
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Posted by: rjbennett1294 -
Oct. 31, 2014 7:18 PM ET USA
The Pope said, "(T)he path in which one faithfully abides by the laws allows for one to, at the same time, be just and loving." Certainly showing love and mercy and abiding by the law are all important, even though some seem to think that as long as you show "mercy", you can forget about the law. St. John wrote, "This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands." (1 John, 5:2-3)
