It Isn’t the Letter of the Law; It’s the Love of the Law

“You broke the law! You should be kicked out!” While we don’t normally hear people use this exact language when discussing the Holy Canons of the Church, the attitude is quite common. Many of us get worked up about whether OTHERS are following the letter of the law, that we neglect to remember the love that God had in mind when He created the rules in the first place. In the Gospel lesson found in Luke 13.10-17, we hear about a woman who was healed by Christ on the Sabbath. The religious leaders watched with shock and anger the she would dare seek healing, or that Christ would dare to heal her on the Sabbath. The Church engages each of us through dispensation (also called economia) rather than strictness when considering the Holy Canons. If not, we would ALL be out!