Fulfilling the Law, Not Abolishing It
Don Dolindo's Insights: How Jesus Taught Us to Love Through Moses' Commands
Christ the Good Samaritan
The Old Testament contains many laws and directives from God that can seem irrelevant or confusing to modern readers. However, the 20th century Italian priest Don Dolindo Ruotolo has a remarkable gift for illuminating the deeper spiritual meaning behind even the most obscure biblical passages. Take for example Deuteronomy 22, where Moses lays out various practical instructions for the Israelites, like returning a neighbor's lost ox or donkey. At first glance, how could an advice about oxen be at all applicable today? Yet Don Dolindo beautifully unlocks the timeless moral wisdom in such verses. As we will see, what may appear to be archaic biblical rules often contain powerful exhortations from God to grow in charity and love for others. Don Dolindo's commentaries shed an inspirational new light on how these old laws speak meaningfully to us now, as he reveals their call to selfless service and boundless compassion. With that context, let us examine Deuteronomy 22:1-4...
“You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and withhold your help from them; you shall take them back to your brother. And if he is not near you, or if you do not know him, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall be with you until your brother seeks it; then you shall restore it to him. And so you shall do with his donkey; so you shall do with his garment; so you shall do with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he loses and you find; you may not withhold your help. You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way, and withhold your help from them; you shall help him to lift them up again."
At first glance, these directives about returning lost oxen or donkeys may not resonate with us living in the 21st century. However, Jesus Christ himself said, "Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). Christ did not render the laws of the Old Testament obsolete, but rather revealed their deeper spiritual meaning and significance.
The 20th century Italian priest Don Dolindo Ruotolo provides a beautiful examination of how these verses in Deuteronomy contain timeless moral wisdom. Though the specific examples of oxen and donkeys may not apply today, Don Dolindo explains that the spiritual essence behind these laws is a powerful exhortation to charity and love for one's neighbor.
Don Dolindo emphasizes how Moses insists we must not "withhold our help" from a neighbor in need, even if that need is mundane like recovering a lost animal. The true focus is on cultivating a spirit of generosity and care. Don Dolindo writes, "If God demanded from His people such delicate goodness and honesty, He demands much more from us." We are called to extend charity not only through material help, but even more importantly through spiritual care and concern for others.
As Christ taught that the entirety of the law and the prophets hangs on the two great commandments—to love God and love one's neighbor—these verses in Deuteronomy provide concrete examples of what compassionate neighborly love entails. Don Dolindo explains, "All that the Lord commanded His people through Moses applies to us spiritually."
In fact, Don Dolindo sees this charitable love as an even greater requirement for those who follow Christ. He writes, "In the world, in fact, there are not only cases in which an animal of one's neighbor is lost or in which the donkey or ox of one's neighbor falls on the road; if this were to happen, we should not fail to lend material help to our neighbor. Jesus Christ has spoken to us about the lost sheep (Luke 15:4-7), the son who ran away from home to give himself to sin (Luke 15:11-32), the unfortunate one who has fallen on the road under the blows of robbers(Luke 10:30-37)."
Here Don Dolindo reveals the deeper meaning behind these Old Testament laws. There are many lost souls in the world beyond just material possessions that have gone astray. As Christians, we are called to actively seek out and restore those who are spiritually lost back to God. Don Dolindo explains we must "take by the hand lost souls and lead them back with zeal to the heavenly Master." This includes those who have fallen into destructive vices and sin. With charity and wisdom, we must lend our hand to guide them back to the Father. Often, when lending a helping hand, it is important to supplement it with our personal prayers (especially before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament) and our hidden penances, such as our sacrifices and our fasting.
Don Dolindo emphasizes that we cannot remain indifferent or apathetic to the spiritual struggles of our neighbors. He writes, "A Christian cannot remain indifferent before the moral evil of his neighbor, which is the most serious misfortune that can befall him." This extraordinary standard of caring for the soul of each person, including those mired in sin and vice, is the true calling of Christian charity. As St. Paul cautioned, "Let any one who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor 10:12). We must approach helping others with humility and awareness of our own weaknesses, not boasting over their sins but gently restoring them in a spirit of love. This spirit of love primarily entails interior spiritual offerings done quietly through prayer, sacrifice, and uniting ourselves to Christ in the Eucharist. As Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). Helping a fallen soul back to God often requires heartfelt prayers, fasts, and sacrifices offered up in a hidden interior life with Christ. Uniting our sufferings to Christ's perfect sacrifice in the Eucharist enables grace to softly penetrate hearts and gently guide the lost back to the Father.
As Don Dolindo explains, Moses' insistence on returning even a neighbor's donkey or cloak highlights how in practicing charity, we must not hesitate to help even when it requires overcoming our own repugnance or difficulty. Don Dolindo writes, "In works of zeal we must not hesitate to pick up even the misery of other people's clothes, and to struggle with the foolish obstinacy of sinners. It would be wrong to neglect souls just because, to care for them, it is necessary to know the evil they do." We are called to persevere in compassion, not allowing the stubbornness of others or the unpleasantness of their sin to dissuade us from mercifully guiding them back to God.
As modern day Catholics, Deuteronomy 22:1-4 should inspire us to fulfill Christ's commandment to love our neighbor. This means being concerned for not just their physical needs, but even more importantly their spiritual welfare. When we encounter those who have wandered from faith and righteousness, we must gently guide them back without judgment but with compassion. The spiritual insights of Don Dolindo reveal that these ancient laws contain profound truths about the virtue of charity that remain deeply relevant for us today. Though times change, our calling to care for lost souls with unconditional love is eternal.
O Blessed Mother, as we strive to fulfill your Son's commandment to love one another, may we recall His words that whatever we wish others would do for us, we must do for them (Matthew 7:12). Please intercede for us, that the world may recognize us as Christ's disciples by the love we show one another (John 13:35), binding everything together in perfect harmony through love (Colossians 3:14). For we owe nothing to anyone except to love one another, and in so doing fulfill the entirety of God's law (Romans 13:8). Therefore, following the exhortations of Don Dolindo and the wisdom of Deuteronomy, obtain for us the grace to ensure all we do is done in a spirit of love (1 Corinthians 16:14), actively seeking those lost souls who need our compassion and care. Through living charity, may we fulfill the biblical laws not by empty external observance, but by pouring Christ's boundless love from our hearts into a world so desperately in need. Guide us in this heavenly mission by your most holy Rosary, and lead us to your Son Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Place us under the patronage of St. Joseph, protector of the universal Church. Help us, O Mother of Divine Love, to abide in perfect charity. Amen.