Deacon Tom Anthony

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 76

Reading 1 Sir 15:15-20

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 Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34

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 1 Cor 2:6-10

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 Mt 11:25

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 Mt 5:17-37 or 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37

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,

 The Coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word Becoming Flesh, represents a moment when the entire Law given to us by God through Moses and the prophets is brought to perfection. Jesus Christ being revealed to all of God’s Creation brings all of it, everything revealed, to an epic climax of revelation never to be matched in all of eternity. The Apostle Paul describes it as a freeing moment to all of creation: the chains of the Law being broken. Because Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s Law means that the Law of God is still present but now serves a newly revealed purpose. The reason for it now is seen through the perspective of  Jesus Christ the Son of God and is defined by who Jesus is as part of the Trinity and who he is in relationship with us.

Just because Jesus Christ freed us from the chains of the Law does not mean that we are not answerable to it. The Law and teachings of Sacred Scripture now serve as instruction and provides a guide on how we are to conduct ourselves as Christians. The more that we follow God’s Teaching the closer we will get to Him; the nearer we will be drawn to Him. It truly is a blueprint on how we are to live and experience our lives. It is through reading and following what Sacred Scripture has to say that we understand more about ourselves and about God. Reading it is a form of prayer that prepares us for a relationship with Him. The words written are meant to be read, contemplated, and meditated on. We who define ourselves as Christians are encouraged to devour them as spiritual nourishment which will then invigorate our spirit, bring us wisdom, and make us whole.

The Scripture Reading from the Book of Sirach tells us that God presents us with a choice in the form of fire and water. The fire destroys us while the water brings us nourishment and life. Obeying God’s Commandments and listening to His instruction is the choice of water while refusing them means accepting the destruction that fire brings in all aspects of our existence. He loves us so much that He gives us a choice to take whatever we choose but warns us beforehand the consequences of exercising our will above His. It is also comforting to know that that, even for us who have selfishly chosen fire above water many times, there is always the fact that water extinguishes the flames if reached for later. With God nothing is beyond repair; even our wretched selves. Whatever place we find ourselves in our life is where we can find God. Reaching out to grab His hand that is constantly being offered to us signifies that water and God’s Way has been chosen above our way.

God is the perfect good thus what is written in Sacred Scripture reflects that which is the perfect good. It is written that, “the eyes of God are on those who fear Him.” This means that as long as we pursue a relationship with Him and respond to His invitation to love Him, we will be protected and will be able to overcome any obstacle that we are presented with. Everything that has happened to us and that will happen takes on a new meaning because these things are finite while God is eternal. Being His children, we are also eternal. That which is not eternal and has its roots in this world cannot overcome us. Building our faith-life on a foundation starting with Sacred Scripture and continuing with prayer insures that we will be walking with God instead of alone.

When we struggle with things that we are tempted with we are encouraged to go back to the basics; letting ourselves be told what to do. This is exactly what is contained in the writings of Sacred Scripture. There is instruction that comes directly from God and from Jesus Christ. There are also stories related to many of those who came before us that were seeking a relationship with God. Through it all we gain wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and above all an enriched relationship with God. To know God is to love God. To be in relationship with God is to experience His love. It is through this that Joy is found and a wonderful experience contained in this life that we have been given and the next that is to come.

Deacon Tom