An ongoing summary series of Pope St. John Paul II’s document Veritatis Splendor, “The Splendor of Truth”, first published in 1993 as an encyclical on Christian moral theology.
More Than Rules: A Call to Follow (#’s 22-27)
What if the moral life isn’t about measuring up—but about being drawn in?
In the final section of Chapter 1 of Veritatis Splendor, Pope John Paul II takes us deeper into the story of the rich young man, presenting it not as a distant parable, but as a mirror held up to our own hearts.
The young man has done many good things. He has kept the commandments. He’s sincere. But still something’s missing. Jesus, seeing this, doesn’t scold him. He loves him. That detail is crucial. “Jesus looked at him and loved him” (Mk 10:21). And from that love comes an invitation: “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you have... then come, follow me.”
This is where the shift happens. The moral life is not just about doing good things or avoiding bad ones. It’s about entering into a relationship—a living friendship with Christ. The commandments are not the endpoint; they are the beginning. They clear a path for something greater: communion.
John Paul II writes: “The young man’s question is about the moral good, which must be done, and about eternal life, the ultimate goal of man’s existence. Jesus answers by indicating the commandments... but then invites the young man to a higher perfection: ‘Come, follow me’” (23).
That phrase—follow me—is at the very center of Christian morality. Everything else flows from it. It’s a relationship with Jesus that transforms how we live, love, and choose.
And so, JPII insists: the moral life cannot be reduced to a set of isolated acts or boxes to check. It has to be rooted in the whole person. The Church’s moral teaching, then, is not a burden from the outside, but a response to a call from within—a call to become more truly who we are in Christ.
Many people feel trapped between two extremes: legalism on one side (“just follow the rules!”), and relativism on the other (“meh, do whatever feels right”). But John Paul II offers a different vision: a moral life shaped not by pressure or fear, but by love—by Christ looking at us and saying, “Come to me.”
Of course, the invitation costs something. The rich young man walks away sad. And so do we, at times. But we also know that the Lord’s invitation remains open. Each day, Christ calls us anew to “go beyond the letter of the law” and to “live its spirit in radical love.” (27)
This is the greatness of Christian morality: not rules for their own sake, but a path to joy, to wholeness, and to holiness.