GOD'S LAW

Scripture has always held God’s law to be the path to human happiness. In today’s first reading, Ezra the priest reads the scroll of the law to the people returned from exile. They weep—then are joyful. Israel’s relationship with God had always been defined by how they kept and lived God’s law. The author of Psalm 96 likewise praises the law of God as the source of wisdom, joy and enlightenment, purity and justice. In his advice to the bickering Corinthians, Paul points out that, just as God has made all parts of a human body essential for the health of the whole, living as “Christ’s body” requires that each member be recognized as necessary for the good of all. Finally, in Luke’s Gospel Jesus claims that the Spirit is sending him to relieve human suffering. Like Ezra, he is reading from a scroll, proclaiming God’s “law” of mercy to those in need.

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