Rules

Some people ask why there are so many rules in the Church.  Why can’t we just believe in God?  Rules are a natural development of living.  The more years, the more people, the more problems demanding a resolution, the more rules are made.  Rules are needed because we are too insensitive to God’s love.  If we all lived, ruled by God’s love then we would need no other rules.  We wouldn’t need to be told to do or not do something.  Some rules are necessary to help us and some to keep us from hurting ourselves and others.  One basic set of rules that God thought necessary to give us is the Ten Commandments.  People then began to dicker with God.  If I break someone’s arm but don’t kill him, have I broken a commandment?  Thus, is born another rule.  We are to keep holy the Lord’s Day.  How?  The Church answered with rules about going to Church on Sunday and of resting.  The denser we are about something, the more the Church needs to spell it out for us.  Those of us who don’t need something spelled out quite so much wonder why we needed a rule for that - because someone else did need it.  Sometimes we don’t like the rules because we know that we are doing something we shouldn’t and don’t want to change our behavior - so we grumble about the rules.  Rules are simply another way God provides the Church to help us change our lives toward Him.  Breaking a rule is part of a larger part of not wanting to do what God wills.  It points that out in a more specific way.  Our observance of rules cannot depend on our own understanding of their need; we must thrust the Church to know what is necessary for the health of our souls.