Following Jesus can be quite a trip.

While he challenges those in power and the structures that support them, he makes clear that his mission is not to abolish the law but to fulfill it.

It helps to understand that by “law,” Jesus means God’s commandments, which give life.

For some, obeying any law—let alone God’s law—seems restricting. But Jesus invites us to recognize that the commandments are actually liberating because they draw us into deeper relationship with God, ourselves, and others. God’s law is the path to greater love.

What you focus on grows. Today let us grow in understanding of God’s law by focusing on our faith, respect for others, forgiveness, and love of our neighbor.

—Jeremy Langford is the director of communications for the Midwest Jesuits and author of  Seeds of Faith: Practices to Grow a Healthy Spiritual Life ©2007 Paraclete Press, Brewster, MA.