More than once I have heard people say, “You never hear anything about the Ten Commandments anymore.” “Why don’t you preach about the ten commandments?” Our first reading puts them right in front of us today.

Once there was a very sincere man who wished to live a holy life. So he went to his rabbi to seek his advice. The rabbi congratulated him on his desire to live a holy life and then asked, “How have you been doing so far?” “Quite well, I think,” replied the man. “When you say well, what do you mean?” asked the rabbi. “ I haven’t broken any of the commandments. I haven’t taken the Lord’s name in vain. I haven’t profaned the Sabbath day. I haven’t dishonored my father or mother. I haven’t killed anyone. I haven’t been unfaithful to my wife. I haven’t’ coveted my neighbor’s wife or goods.” “I see,” said the rabbi. “So you haven’t broken any of the commandments.” “That’s right,” the man said with pride. “But have you kept the commandments?” the rabbi asked. “What do you mean?”

“I mean have you honored God’s holy name? Spoken the name only with love and gratitude? Have you kept holy the Sabbath day? Have you honored your parents, loved them, and comforted them when they were sick, taken care of them in old age? Have you sought to preserve and defend life? Not judging, not condemning but loving your enemies? Blessing those who curse you? When last did you tell your wife that you loved her? Have you shared your goods with the poor…hoarding goods while your neighbor is in need is a form of stealing…share your bread with the hungry, clothe the naked, open your heart to the lonely. Have you defended the good name of anyone…have your words supported and built up your neighbor? When last did you put yourself out to help a neighbor?”

The man was taken aback. But to his credit he went away and reflected on what the rabbi had said. He realized that up to this he had been merely intent on avoiding wrong-doing. It is surprising how many people think that avoiding wrong doing is the highest criterion of virtue. The rabbi offered a new vision of goodness – not merely to avoid evil, but to do good. The man had a negative concept about goodness. Certainly Jesus offers us a positive concept of goodness. A new and fuller compass to guide us, a new and more challenging path to follow.

We must be careful not to make the mistake that the man made. We must not approach the commandments in a negative way because this leads to doing the minimum…it is certainly not holiness. The commandments are foundational and we must keep them in the right spirit. Our obedience must be motivated not by fear but by love. We do not keep the commandments so that God will love us. We keep the commandments because God loves us.

Jesus brought us a new and more exacting law – the law of love. Far from contradicting or abolishing the old law, the new law goes beyond it and so brings it to perfection. He said that all of God’s laws could be reduced to two: love of God and love of neighbor. In truth, there is only one law – the law of love and it is the law of love that leads to holiness.