SIXTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Readings:  Sirach 15:15-20; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37

 

God calls us to a radical way of living. We are called to be more than just moral: God calls us to be virtuous. We become virtuous by habitually choosing to do well.  Naturally we are not perfect, but God calls us to reflect on how we live and to understand what has gone right and wrong for us. Such reflection can lead us to insight that will help us to live better and be virtuous in the future. Therefore, by reflecting on our experience in the light of faith we grow in wisdom. Jesus preaches us a religion that should become increasingly interior and personal to the individual. 

The first reading invites us to take every advantage to make the right choices in life.  The reading begins with Sirach’s straight forward announcement that God’s commandments have the saving power. Moses said this to the people of Israel as he stood at the River Jordan and declared that he set before them the choice, life and prosperity, death and doom. The choice was theirs to make. Sirach now tells the people echoing the words of Moses that God has set before them fire and water, life and death, good and evil.  He tells them to stretch out their hand to take which ever they choose.  In the later chapters he gives sufficient examples how the choice is made by people before God. The author further motivates us to make the right choice by stating that God’s eyes are on those who fear him. 

In today’s Second Reading Paul continues his theme of wisdom and refers to the knowledge of understanding God’s wisdom, what is sacred and hidden, what God decreed before the ages for the glory of all. God had in his mind from all eternity that Christ crucified would bring glory to all who put their faith in him. Through his incarnation Jesus has revealed this wisdom through the Holy Spirit.  In the book of Genesis we read that God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness…” The last words were, “to our likeness”, referring to God’s characteristics. God decreed that His children would be in His likeness, having His Divine characteristics. The spiritually mature Christian knows what God meant by those words.  Paul emphasizes the role of the Spirit in the life of every baptized person as he understands the divine wisdom. 

When the Gospel states that Jesus came not to destroy the law but to fulfill it may have surprised his audience a great deal.  This is because Jesus was constantly accused of breaking the law and finally the accusation at his death was that he was breaking the laws continuously. People observed that he did not wash his hands prior to the meal that the law demanded, he healed people on the Sabbath day, and now he speaks of the law with veneration and reverence that no Scribe or Rabbi could exceed. He tells them that not even the smallest part of the law will be changed and he is there to fulfill the law and bring it to completion.  The word Law for the Jews during the time of Jesus held four different meanings.  First was Decalogue or Ten Commandments which God gave from Sinai and Moses gave them to the people. The second was the Pentateuch or the first five books of the Bible. Pentateuch meant the Five Rolls, the basic law and for the Jews it was most important part of the Bible.  The third was the Law and the Prophets which indicated the entire Scripture, comprehensively called as the Old Testament. Finally, the Oral or Scribal Law which included the religious practices and prescriptions observed by every Jew.  These included all the observances like the Sabbath, the worship in the Temple, the fasting, prayer, alms giving and the like. 

When Jesus said that he has come not to destroy but to fulfill the Law he meant that he has come to indicate the real meaning of the Law.  One great Principle that lay behind every prescribed law oral or written was that in all things a man must seek God’s will and that he must dedicate his whole life in obeying him.  For Jesus the entire meaning is summed up in one word, namely, Respect or Reverence.  He summarizes the Ten Commandments in this word, reverence to the person of God, to his name, to his day, reverence to the parents, respect for life, property, personality, respect for truth and to a person’s good name and finally respect for self.

- @avinash bitra OFM Cap.