Jesus said that he had come so that we “might have life and have it more abundantly.” He also said that he did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. For instance, he quoted the command of the Law that said, “Do not kill.” But went deeper, to the roots and attitudes that lead to acts of violence, and he challenged people live not on the surface of the Law but from deeper down.
If we don’t make the effort to go deeper and understand what’s below the surface of our religious and ethical observances, we risk being superficial in our relationship with God and others.
As we get closer to the start of Lent, it might be helpful for us to see how our religious life has moved below the superficial. If we find in some area of our life that we aren’t living with depth, that may be precisely the where Christ is calling us to grow.
—Fr. Frank Majka, S.J., a Wisconsin Jesuit, is engaged in pastoral ministry at Marquette University High School in Milwaukee.