This is seen most clearly when we read the Scriptures, especially the Gospels.  When we read the words of Jesus, in particular, we may sit back and be convicted in one way or another on how we have been acting poorly or ways in which we need to improve. 

This is good!  When this happens, we are letting the deep revelation of God penetrate our consciences and teach us how to act.  We may feel “convicted” in the sense that we suddenly realize we have been less than perfect in some area of our life.  And we may find, in the Scriptures, a deep calling to work toward more perfect virtue and love.

What’s interesting is that the law of love may, at first, feel like a burden or challenge to us.  Or, it may be hard to accept and embrace.  But, in the end, if we are open and sincerely seek the truth, we will come to realize that all Jesus says and does makes sense.  It’s like a key opening a locked door to a world we had heard about but could not discover on our own. 

The revelations Jesus gives us are purifying and freeing to us because they reveal to us what is already hidden within our conscience.  They reveal the moral law inscribed within us, and it becomes a joyful discovery.

The law that the Gospels reveal is the law of charity.  This law is especially found in the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount.  But we also see this law of charity in the ultimate sacrificial act of love that Jesus offered on the Cross.  We read His words and see His free embrace of this sacrifice for us. 

In the witness of His Cross, we discover our own calling of sacrificial love and, hopefully, embrace it wholeheartedly.  

To be continued.