6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A): Homily / Sermon

Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. (Matthew 5:17)

Sometimes we might be surprised what is against the law nowadays. Things which  used to be tolerated or were even quite normal, like smoking in a pub, are now against the law - whereas other matters which used to be illegal - such as abortion - are now not only permitted but seen as a matter of human rights. 

In some parts of the world, accidents of history or circumstance have left us with some particular strange laws. 

In London for example it is against the law to die in the House of Commons, or to carry a corpse in a taxi. It is also against the law to place a stamp on an envelope upside down. 

In the USA there are many more examples: 

In Oklahoma, you can be arrested for making ugly faces at a dog.

It is against the law to mispronounce the name of the State of Arkansas in that State. 

Many odd laws relate to driving: 

In Illinois, the law is that a car must be driven with the steering wheel. 

In Tennessee, it is against the law to drive a car while sleeping. 

In New York, it is against the law for a blind person to drive an automobile. 

So, is breaking the law the same as committing a sin? 

I think most of the time we think it is. To kill is against the law. To steal is against the law. To lie and deceive - especially in the witness box - is against the law. All these are certainly sins. 

And then there are lesser laws, intended for our well being and protection, which probably should not be broken. Speed limits and tax regulations however irksome, we know should be followed. To break them cooly and deliberately is probably sin. 

But law has its limits. Every sin is not against the law, by any means. It is not against the law to commit adultery, however selfish or damaging that may be. It is not against the law to covet, or disrespect your parents, or worship false Gods, and nowadays at least I don't think we would want it to be. 

And sometimes the law is just wrong. Some laws remove people's rights, or restrain free speech, or imprison people unjustly. Some governments engage in torture, and even enforce abortions. Sometimes civil laws go against the moral law. 

And the message of Jesus, given at at different time and in different circumstances tells us both the extent and the limits of law. Yes - is it wrong to kill and to betray and to deceive, but the outward observance of the law is nothing - just a jot or tittle - without the inward observance of the heart. 

Laws may be able to limit the worst excesses of humanity, but without conversion of the heart, it remains empty and we become contemptuous. Yet if the purpose and direction of the law is clear to us, then we no longer have need of its chapter and verse.