Most of us have a complicated relationship with the law. We want it to protect us, to keep order, and to defend what is right. At the same time, we often experience law as frustrating, restrictive, or out of touch with real life. We are also aware that laws change. What was once acceptable becomes forbidden, and what was once prohibited is sometimes defended as a right. Law reflects culture, and culture is always shifting.

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Some laws even amuse us. In different parts of the world it is illegal to make faces at a dog, to mispronounce a place name, or to drive a car while asleep. These odd examples make us smile, but they also reveal something important. Law can regulate behaviour, but it cannot shape motives. It can restrain actions, but it cannot transform the heart.

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This raises a serious question. Is breaking the law the same as committing a sin? Sometimes the answer is clearly yes. To kill, to steal, or to lie under oath are crimes and grave moral wrongs. Laws such as these protect life, trust, and the fabric of society. Other laws, such as speed limits or tax regulations, exist for the common good. Even when inconvenient, they deserve respect. To break them deliberately and selfishly is rarely morally neutral.

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Yet not every sin is illegal. It is not against the law to be unfaithful, to harbour resentment, to manipulate others, or to live selfishly. These actions can cause deep harm in families, friendships, and workplaces, but the law cannot reach them. And sometimes the law itself is wrong. History gives us painful examples of laws that defended slavery, suppressed free speech, or denied people their dignity. There are moments when civil law and moral law stand in tension.

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Into this complicated world Jesus speaks as Teacher. He does not dismiss the law, and he does not simply reinforce it. Instead, he fulfils it. He reveals its deepest purpose. The law was never meant to be a checklist guaranteeing holiness. It was meant to guide people into faithful relationship with God and with one another.

Jesus insists that outward observance is not enough. Anger, he teaches, can be as destructive as violence. Contempt can wound as deeply as physical harm. Faithfulness is not merely about avoiding certain actions, but about the integrity of the heart. The Teacher leads us beyond surface obedience and draws us inward, to the place where choices are formed.

This is demanding teaching. It is easier to keep rules than to examine motives. It is easier to avoid certain actions than to allow God to change our desires. Yet this is precisely where Jesus teaches with authority. He shows us that the law finds its fulfilment not in fear or control, but in love.

Saint John Paul II reflected deeply on this in his teaching on moral conscience. He reminded the Church that law serves freedom when it is rooted in truth. Rules exist to protect love, not to replace it. When conscience is properly formed, the law becomes a guide rather than a threat.

We see this in everyday life. A generous person does not need rules about sharing. A faithful friend does not need constant reminders about loyalty. A parent who loves deeply does not need laws to tell them to care for their child. When the heart is shaped rightly, behaviour follows naturally.

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Jesus, our Teacher, does not lower the moral vision. He deepens it. He calls us not merely to avoid wrongdoing, but to desire what is good. He teaches us that holiness is not about minimal compliance, but about generous love and integrity of life. If we allow Christ to teach us, his law is no longer a burden. It becomes a path to freedom, written not on stone tablets, but on human hearts, alive with grace.