Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 76
Reading 1
If you choose you can keep
the commandments, they will save you;
if you trust in God, you too shall live;
he has set before you fire and water
to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand.
Before man are life and death, good and evil,
whichever he chooses shall be given him.
Immense is the wisdom of the Lord;
he is mighty in power, and all-seeing.
The eyes of God are on those who fear him;
he understands man's every deed.
No one does he command to act unjustly,
to none does he give license to sin.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1b) Blessed are they
who follow the law of the Lord!
Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
Blessed are they who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all their heart.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
You have commanded that your precepts
be diligently kept.
Oh, that I might be firm in the ways
of keeping your statutes!
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Be good to your servant, that I may live
and keep your words.
Open my eyes, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes,
that I may exactly observe them.
Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Reading 2
Brothers and sisters:
We speak a wisdom to those who are mature,
not a wisdom of this age,
nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away.
Rather, we speak God's wisdom, mysterious, hidden,
which God predetermined before the ages for our glory,
and which none of the rulers of this age knew;
for, if they had known it,
they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
But as it is written:
What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard,
and what has not entered the human heart,
what God has prepared for those who love him,
this God has revealed to us through the Spirit.
For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses
that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you,
whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment;
and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,'
will be answerable to the Sanhedrin;
and whoever says, 'You fool,'
will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.
"You have heard that it was said,
You shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you,
everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin,
tear it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.
And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.
"It was also said,
Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.
But I say to you,
whoever divorces his wife - unless the marriage is unlawful -
causes her to commit adultery,
and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
"Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
Do not take a false oath,
but make good to the Lord all that you vow.
But I say to you, do not swear at all;
not by heaven, for it is God's throne;
nor by the earth, for it is his footstool;
nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
Do not swear by your head,
for you cannot make a single hair white or black.
Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.'
Anything more is from the evil one."
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
We learn that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the law and is the culmination of everything that has come before in Sacred Scripture. He is the final revelation and it is through Him that we approach the Father. To enter into relationship with God, we are given direction, a code of conduct, in the form of the Law. This Law was handed down from God and we are asked to follow it for our betterment and the betterment of all those whom we interact with. It is not something forced upon us, but it is an agreement that we voluntarily enter into when we claim our birthright as children of God.
The reading from Sirach tells us that we have two choices before us: to obey or not obey, to do good or evil, to listen to God’s wisdom or not. We are reminded that there are consequences to the choices that we make. It is through following God that we find life and a transformative experience. This can be difficult at times, but we have an advocate in the Holy Spirit that can become a driving force in our lives when we are open to its presence. The more that we focus on our spirituality, the stronger we become. Following God’s law ceases becoming a burden and instead something that makes us healthy physically, mentally, and spiritually. Saint Ephrem said,
“The word of God is a tree of life that offers us blessed fruit from each of its branches. It is like that rock, which was struck open in the wilderness, from which all were offered spiritual drink. As the Apostle says: They ate spiritual food, and they drank spiritual drink.”
We are invited to eat and drink at God’s banquet which has its roots in the law. There should be no fear of the consequences of not following the law, but joy instead at pleasing the one who gave us the law. Following God’s will instead of our own is what brings about this joy: true joy that cannot be replaced by anything on this earth.
Jesus challenges us to have a deeper commitment to the law that goes beyond just obeying what is written down. What we have now through Him is obedience based on love. It is not just about doing or not doing, but conducting ourselves to love and be loved. As Christians, we need to have depth to our actions. We cannot be miserable while doing these things; that misses the point. We cannot judge those whom we interact with. There must be room for mercy. We need to give it and be prepared to receive it. Compromise is always key, even when we think we are right. The Book of Proverbs tells us that,
“The man who pleads his case first seems to be in the right; then his opponent comes and puts him to the test.”
We should always try to compromise, make peace, forgive. This will lead us to receive compromise, peace, and forgiveness. This all can be difficult, but it is certainly worth it. Things done out of kindness and love bring about an abundance of good things. It adds humanity to the law and helps us become Christlike. When we find ourselves in a position where we are going to render judgement or hold someone accountable, it would be good to reflect if we have ever been in the same position as the person before us. Have we ever wronged someone in a similar way? The answer is usually a resounding yes. With that, we give love and mercy, for there will come another time where we will be asking for the same thing.
We have been called by God to love and be loved. This relationship, as God’s children, requires obedience and structure. This is offered through Sacred Scripture, the teachings of the Church, and Sacred Tradition. Experiencing all of these brings about an understanding of the law that has been given to us by God, which then allows us to experience God’s love within ourselves and everyone we interact with.
Deacon Tom
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