What rules do you live by? You observe the laws of church and state. You fulfill the expectations of your family. You follow procedures at the workplace. If you strive to live faithful to God, society, and yourself, you follow some good interior rules.

Sometimes, though, we live by rules of habit. We do things because we have always done them. In itself, that is not bad, but sometimes circumstances change. The rules you apply to your oldest child might bend when your youngest comes of age. Procedures you follow at work might be put aside to help someone in need. Rules are good. They help society live in peace. It’s when the rules become tyrants that they thwart the very order they aim to preserve.

In the past, the Romans had lived according to the law of the flesh. They did what they could get away with. They observed rules for the sake of survival. Observing this, Saint Paul cautions them by saying, “You are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.” Now they are Christians. The Spirit of God dwells within them. They live now by the law of love. They make decisions differently, thinking of others, not just of themselves.

The rules we live by deserve to be followed especially as they express the desires of God’s Holy Spirit. The Spirit of love presents the supreme law. Christians please God when we obey the Spirit of Christ.

Written by Paul Turner. Liturgy Training Publications
Copyright 2004, Archdiocese of Chicago