“Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:19–20.
I have written a few times on this Gospel. No doubt, the fulfillment of the law part is very important. I wrote on that here:
For today, however, I want to simply and briefly look at the second half of this Gospel. This second half is an exhortation to obedience. Amidst the great Sermon on the Mount, Our Lord commands that HIs disciples ought to keep all of these commandments. Here, He is not merely referencing the Decalogue, though certainly those are intended, but He is referencing the Beatitudes and all the rest that He teaches. Not only are we to keep it, but we are to teach it as well, meaning that we pass it on to our children, etc.
At the heart of this command is one of obedience. Surely, we ought to see this as a recapitulation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.1 They were instructed in only one thing: do not eat of the fruit of a certain tree. Not simply because of the nature of the fruit, but because obedience to that one law was the way that our first parents showed God they loved Him.
Very simply: Obedience is an act of love.
Today in the Church, much can be commented on when it comes to obedience. We ought to be obedient to God rather than man, etc. Many rest in this truth. And while it is true, we have to remember that it only applies when our lawful superiors are commanding something contrary to God’s law. In all other things, as an act of love for God, we are to be obedient to our lawful superiors.
This past Saturday, I attended the ordination of my youngest brother to the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Of the ordination ritual, much is striking, but the one part that really stuck out to me was when he knelt in front of his bishop and vowed obedience to the Bishop and his successors.
Even if we are not priests, we are still commanded by the spirit of obedience as one of the Evangelical Councils. We are to be obedient to our shepherds, and especially, to the Holy Father. Obedience to our shepherds is an act of love for God.
Reflect today on how we can be obedient. Not just in the great things but in the small things as well. Can we be obedient by accepting today’s cross? Can we be obedient by caring for the poor? Can we be obedient by instructing the ignorant or admonishing the sinner?
If we are obedient in both great and small things, we will be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.
For more from Dr. McGovern, visit his Substack at A Thomist, Dedicated to the Theological tradition of St. Thomas Aquinas. Exploring Thomas’ Spiritual Theology and topics in Christology and Mariology.
Cf. Genesis 3.