Just What Law Is So Precious And Sweet?

Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Course

What is this Law that is perfect, that refreshes the soul and gives wisdom to the simple-minded? It rejoices the heart, is true and just, and more precious than gold. It tastes sweeter than syrup, or even honey straight from the comb (and I know how tasty that is.) Moreover, this constitutes the words of everlasting life, according to our psalm today. That would be something worth knowing, would it not?

Is this law the Ten Commandments–three respecting, honoring and worshiping God, and seven giving what is due to other human beings? That would have to be a start, I’m certain, because a world in which people lied, stole, coveted property and spouse, and committed adultery routinely would be impossible to live in. But would you call such a Law “perfect”? Does it take you all the way to a society of total happiness? Probably not. We might want to add beauty, true goodness and truth to that community.

Let’s look at Jesus and His interpretation of the parable of the sower. Remember, a sower goes out into a field and just scatters seed, much like a pastor who gives the same sermon on Saturday night as he does on Sunday morning and evening. And some fall on the asphalt and get eaten by birds. Others fall on ground that is both rocks and soil, causing plants to grow quickly but then die in the heat. A portion hits ground that is infested with weeds, that grow up and choke the germinating good seed. And other seed falls on good soil, grows up and yields a harvest, some a lot of edible stuff and others more.

Now the temptation is for us to look at this Gospel–the interpretation of the parable–and just restate Christ’s take on the kind of soil the Word of the Kingdom falls on. So, certainly, we should not let Satan steal it, worldly cares choke it, and persecution cause us to doubt and reject it. But I’d rather ask whether given this, given our keeping of the Ten Commandments, what differentiates between the good yields? How can we get more “bang for the buck” in the words of a former U.S. cabinet member?

First we need to ask what Jesus Himself did? And we first remember that God is all-good, and wishes only good for those He created, redeemed and enspirited. Jesus gave everything He had to us, emptied Himself of divine privilege in order to become human inside Mary, preach, suffer and die so that he would be able to conquer death, rise again and offer us the sacramental means to become part of His Mystical Body. His last commandment, then, is the one that the psalm is talking about, perfect, tasting sweet, priceless. That command is simply this. “Love one another as I have loved you.” We imitate Christ by allowing His Spirit to animate us to give it all, to do for others just as Jesus did for his disciples. The more we do this, the greater the yield of souls for His Kingdom.