26 February, Wednesday — The Wisdom of God’s Laws

Wednesday of Week 7 in Ordinary Time

Ecc 4:12-22
Mk 9:38-40

The lovers of your law have great peace, O Lord.

Last Sunday during catechism class, we discussed the topic of Jubilee. The catechist in charge shared that it was stated in Leviticus that Israelites ‘shall not sow, nor shall you reap the aftergrowth or pick the untrimmed vines’. This reminded me of an article I read that the soil is losing nutrients because of overfarming. One of the ways to combat it is to let the soil heal itself – let it rest. It occurred to me that if we were to follow Jubilee practices of the world before Christ, it can be an opportunity for the soil to heal itself. What great wisdom!

The other rules that I found were on washing hands and isolating sick people. At that time, they could not explain things scientifically, so those laws were treated as ‘divine’ laws — something that will displease God if not followed. Of course, we now understand better that God will not be upset if we don’t wash our hands before meals; but now, we have knowledge that it will be bad for our health. So, what good is it that these laws are still included in our Bible to be read by modern-day people?

Maybe it’s to show to us that God’s laws were meant for our good. If God thought it wise to make laws to make sure we are physically well, shouldn’t that give us confidence that God’s laws are for our well-being – not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well?

God’s laws are always for our good, even if the pursuit of good is not easy. God’s design for how we are supposed to live (given out as laws and teachings) is supposed to help us live how he dreamt of us living, before the fall of Adam. It’s amazing how much wisdom there is with the different encyclicals the Popes have issued. Back in 1891, Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical Rerum Novarum, which talked about the dignity of human work. In 1968, Pope Paul VI issued the Humanae Vitae, which contained a lot of prophetic wisdom surrounding the issues of human life. We live in a great time when we can say, “In hindsight, they were right.”

GK Chesterton said that “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.” God’s laws will challenge us. They will put us in a spot where we may have to suffer for obeying God. But we have enough proof that his laws are wise, and they bring peace.

But they are difficult. Peacefully difficult.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Stephanie Villa)

Prayer: Lord, give us strength to love your law since love is a decision.

Thanksgiving: Thank you, Lord, that we live in a time that we could see the wisdom of your laws and teachings.