“Jesus says: “I have come not to abolish the law but to fulfill it.”

The Lord is reminding us that laws are important. Rules, commandments, and institutions exist to guide people toward what is good and just. But laws alone cannot save a society. Laws must be lived, respected, and faithfully implemented.

This Gospel is very relevant to our situation in the Philippines.

The truth is, we do not lack laws. We have many good laws. We have laws against corruption, illegal drugs, environmental destruction, violence, election fraud, and many other social problems. The problem is often not the absence of laws but the failure to implement them.

Sometimes, those who make the laws are also the first to violate them. Some people look for loopholes and technicalities to escape accountability. Others are not afraid to break the law because they have money, influence, or powerful friends who can protect them.

As a result, ordinary citizens lose trust. People begin to think that laws are only for the poor and powerless while the rich and influential can do whatever they want.

Jesus challenges this mentality. For Him, obedience is not merely external compliance. It is a matter of the heart. One can technically follow the letter of the law while violating its spirit. One can appear righteous while acting unjustly.

That is why Jesus came to fulfill the law. He teaches us that the purpose of every law is truth, justice, love, and the common good.

This Gospel is therefore a challenge not only to lawmakers but to all of us.

We criticize corruption in government, but do we always tell the truth? We complain about dishonest officials, but do we pay the correct taxes, follow traffic rules, or keep our promises? We become angry when powerful people abuse the law, but are we ourselves willing to obey rules when nobody is watching?

The renewal of our nation will not happen merely by passing new laws. It will happen when people develop a conscience that respects what is right even when it is inconvenient.

The saints did not become holy because they knew God’s commandments. They became holy because they lived them.

Today, let us pray for our country: that our leaders may implement laws fairly, that those in authority may never place themselves above the law, and that every Filipino may understand that true greatness comes not from power or influence, but from integrity.

For in the end, a nation becomes strong not when it has many laws, but when its people have the courage to live by them.”