Why obey?

The story is told about a boy who approached the priest after the Mass and said: “Father, can I just stay in the church and not go home?” When the priest asked why, the boy responded: “Because here you have only 10 commandments. In our house we have so many!”

In today’s Gospel (Mt. 22, 34-40), Jesus sums up the 10 commandments into two: love of God and love of neighbor as oneself. Jesus teaches us to focus not so much on the letter or observance of the law as on the spirit of the law, which is love.

Jesus warns us not to be legalistic. Let our observance of the law not just be motivated by compliance but also be accompanied by a real desire and resolve to love. We must keep going back to the spirit of the law; otherwise, our observance of the law becomes empty, cold, and impersonal.

Why obey? Obedience to God’s will and commandments will lead to wholeness and to a peaceful life. The 10 commandments are not suggestions. They are given to us for our own good. Obey God, and you will be happy. Disobey God, and you will be unhappy.

Obedience to God’s commandments can be truly and fully understood in the context of a personal relationship between Him and us. In other words, our observance of the commandments is our loving response to God who loves us. Because we love Him, we trust Him and we follow His instructions. He is our Creator, so He knows what is best for us. He is our Father, so we obey Him in love and in trust.

Nov. 1 is All Saints Day. The saints are those who tried their very best to love God with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their mind, and who loved their neighbor as themselves. They kept the commandments of God to the max, with love.  We are all called to do the same. We are called to holiness. Our basic calling in life is to be good, not to be bad.

“Blessed are the clean of heart for they shall see God; blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God; blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Nov. 2 is All Souls Day, the commemoration of all the faithful departed. We believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. The question God will ask each one of us when we finally see Him face to face is: “My child, did you fill the world with love during your life?”

As we visit the resting places of our loved ones, let us be reminded that we, too, will be in similar resting places someday. Will people visit us then? What will people remember about us? More importantly, will we be in God’s presence and embrace then? Or will we be in that place of torment and darkness, forgotten and condemned? Man, be not proud…

Sharing with you the miracle prayer: “Lord Jesus, I come before You just as I am. I am sorry for my sins. Please forgive me. In Your name, I forgive all those who have offended me. I give You my entire self, Lord Jesus. I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Heal me. Change me. Strengthen me in body, soul, and spirit. Amen.”

Pocholo Morillo, president of the Philippine ex-SVD seminarians (XVD), is inviting all SVD-run formation houses for the grand homecoming at Christ the King Mission Seminary, E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, Quezon City, on Nov. 11. The activities start at 4 p.m. with a Latin Mass to be celebrated by Most Reverend Arturo Bastes, SVD, DD, bishop of Sorsogon. For the XVDs, the mission goes on. Though they did not end up in the priestly and religious life, they continue to be potent lay mission partners of the SVD in the areas of medical services, financial support, and human resources.

A moment with the Lord: Lord, help us to obey Your command to love You, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Amen.