There are frequent accounts in the Gospels (like in Mark 3, 1-6) that highlight the difference between morality and law. It was against the Law, for example, to do healing work on the sabbath. This was because, in normal circumstances, the attention of a doctor might involve extensive treatment. But in Mark 3, the healing was instantaneous. Could it be called “work?” Could it be seen as a violation of the spirit of the sabbath? In the end, do these questions really matter?
Again and again, Jesus offered a principle that transcends all positive law: it is always justified to do what is good, provided no greater good is denied. Similarly, no truly loving act can ever be sinful, even though it may violate a law. All laws, except for the law of love, are relative.
For reflection: The Law about healing on the sabbath had good intentions and was part of the observance of the Lord’s Day, but it was being absolutized by the Pharisees. This is a tendency in our own day which we must also avoid. Christianity, after all, is about loving relationships, not about conformity to laws. Says St. Paul: “If I have not love, I am nothing.”
