This week we Lectio the Liturgy with the Collect for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time. This prayer has much to teach us about laws.

O God, who founded all the commands of your sacred Law upon love of you and of our neighbor, grant that, by keeping your precepts, we may merit to attain eternal life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

God’s commands were our first laws. If you remember, God gave Moses ten of them. What’s interesting about the Ten Commandments is that the last eight are specific examples of the first two. All of the commandments that God founded can be wrapped up in love God and love others.

In this prayer we learn that God’s commands are sacred Law.

The laws in my state come from authorities who were elected to govern. They have recently decided that it’s a good idea for drivers to not be distracted by their cell phone. It is a great idea, and I agree (even though at times it is difficult!). Their decision has now become a law.

A sacred Law is different than another law because a sacred Law is given by God. While God could be concerned about our travel safety, His focus is on our eternal life. His laws help us get to heaven. As I thought about the differences between laws, I realized that the weight that the law carries could be relative to the respect we have for the one who gives the law.

The next “law” word in this week’s prayer is precepts. When I joined the Church, I learned about the precepts of the Catholic Church: 1) Attend Mass on Sunday, 2) receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a year, which prepares you to 3) receive Holy Communion, at least during the Easter Season, 4) observe holy days of obligation, and 5) observe the days of fasting and abstinence. Also listed, but not numbered, is the duty to provide for the material needs of the Church. (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2041-2043)

Someone once remarked that these precepts are the “what is the least that I can do to still be Catholic,” list however, that is a pretty negative attitude. There there is another side of the coin. Precepts are given us to help us succeed. The precepts of the Church call us to be present and active in our Faith.

In today’s prayer, the two precepts given by God help us succeed in attaining eternal life. The sacred Laws given to us are to love God and love our neighbor.

Loving God and loving our neighbor sure is easy to say, however, when you think about how to put this in action, it’s a lot more difficult. 

If everyone would love God and love their neighbor, so many things would be different. There would be less crime. People would be actively looking for good things to do for someone else instead of harm them. Sometimes love is more difficult. Is it loving to let someone live a lie? Is it loving to let someone keep sinning without reminding them of the consequence of sin?

These are hard questions, to be sure, but someone has already walked that walk and invites us to follow Him. Jesus is our example of what it means to love God and love our neighbor. He didn’t want us to be fooled by the enemy’s lies. He wanted to give us a life of freedom from sin. How did He do it? He loved. He loved the Father, He loved us, and through His love, we can merit eternal life. 

To merit does not mean that we can do anything to earn eternal life. It’s better than that. Through the grace of God, we are made worthy. There is no greater love than that.