Why rules? (Sunday homily)

Let’s talk about rules – because the readings talk about rules.

A lot of people think that being a Catholic is all about rules.

That’s a knock on us from outside. 

It’s what some Catholics themselves say when they complain.

People fault parish priests and the bishops for “too many rules.”

But here’s something that may surprise you.

That’s not actually what I or most parish priests 

or bishops are leading with.

People frequently will say, “Is such-and-such a sin?”

When I answer, I always try to explain the issue, 

so that people can know better how to answer the question themselves.

And it strikes me how often people don’t have patience for that.

Remember, this is why God gave each of us a conscience; 

and for each of us, our job is to inform our conscience 

by learning our faith — that goes beyond “just the rules.”

So, let me give you an example, and offer some guidance to help you:

People often ask, “I don’t know whether something is a mortal sin.”

Here’s how you know the answer to that.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1857, 

For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met. 

The object must be “grave matter,” and the sin is also committed 

with full knowledge and deliberate consent."

Notice those three terms. Let’s examine them.

“Grave matter.” Grave means serious, or great; 

that is, the damage the sin causes is serious or great damage.

So: stealing a pad of paper from work may not do grave harm; 

stealing a computer probably does. 

And, just to be super-clear: stealing anything at all is wrong. 

A venial sin is still a sin that damages our love for God and others.

“Full knowledge” means you know clearly that what you did is wrong, 

and how wrong it is. 

So, if you say, “I don’t know if X is a sin” there it is: 

a lack of full knowledge. And that calls for someone to learn more.

And then consent must be “deliberate,” meaning, not impulsive, 

and not under pressure or when you’re at a real low point.

I’m explaining this because what’s important is not just following rules, 

but knowing why we have rules.

Everyone gets to a point — probably every week – 

where we complain about a rule. Rules may not always be fair.

I am absolutely certain I could write better tax laws!

But then, everyone here has the same certainty, right?

My family and your family, every family, has rules – because we have to.

Same for a parish; same for a company; same for a community.

So, we can form some conclusions: rules, like it or not, are needed.

But rules are never for their own sake.

The late Father Mike Seger taught us in the seminary, 

and he said something simple and profound:

“Rules exist to protect values.”

If you can’t figure out why there is a rule, ask:

What value is this rule protecting?

Maybe – as our Lord makes clear in the Gospel –

The rule isn’t working anymore, and we change it.

Or, maybe we rediscover the value that we’ve lost sight of.

Jesus is challenging not just the pharisees, but every one of us:

Are you and I just checking boxes?

“I showed up on time.” “I filled out the right paperwork.” 

“I got right to the line but didn’t cross it.”

I’m sure we’ve all played a game before: 

softball or basketball or a card game like Euchre. 

And all games have rules.

But the rules aren’t the point. The rules make the game possible.

The game itself is the point.

So with our faith…what is the point? Have we forgotten?

To know God and to allow him to bring us into union with him.

The point is to let his grace fill us and change us: 

not just for a good show on the surface, but all the way through.

If it’s only following rules, that means we’ll end up being good robots.

Is that what you want to be for eternity?

But if the point is to become holy, to become truly loving 

and truly generous and truly just and truly merciful,

Then that means for us, heaven is simply being happy 

being the saints God has made us. 

Which sounds better: being a robot, or being happy?