Sunday 12th February 2023 - The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ecclesiasticus 15:16-21/ Psalm 118(119)/1 Corinthians 2:6-10/ Matthew 5:17-37

The readings today seem to talk much about laws, rules and regulations. We all need guidelines to live by or society breaks down. Those of us of a certain age may well remember reading for English Literature at School, William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies. This tells the story of a group of boys who find themselves stranded on an island and how they regress to basic instincts as time passes. It is a study of how humanity behaves and how there needs to be rules and guidelines on how to live harmoniously with each other.

In the western world the civil laws developed primarily from the Judeo-Christian tradition of the Ten Commandments. These simple to understand rules come to us through scripture and are therefore the inspired word of God. They are not over restrictive and provide guidance for our relationship with God and with each other. As time passed our laws have been constantly tinkered with and amended to suit the thinking of the day not always serving justice. Over the years there has been a significant divergence between the principals of the Ten Commandments and the civil law. As this separation has increased so has the breakdown of society with the attendant growth of intolerance towards people with differing views on life.

Humanity needs rules and guidelines to function coherently. This is because unlike any other created creature we can choose right from wrong, we do not simply follow our instincts. This ability to choose right from wrong comes directly from the gift of free will given to us by God. There is no coercion exercised on us to Love God, if there was the love God wants us to have for him and each other would not be unconditional and therefore not freely given. God wants us to choose to love him freely and without any pressure to do so.

The first reading from the Old Testament makes it clear that we have a choice. To follow the commandments or not but it also points out there are consequences to the choice we make. The choice is between fire or water, life, or death. The psalm continues in this theme and is a prayer for help to follow God’s law. Seeking God through following his guidance will lead to happiness. If we open our eyes, we will be able to see the wonders of God’s law. God’s law is not a law of restriction and repression but a law of freedom. If we study the law of God we can appreciate that it is a natural law that is founded in freedom and love, love for God and love for neighbour. The civil laws of the world now seem to focus more on the rights of the individual. Yes, there are rights that as a human being we are entitled to, but with all rights come responsibilities. The rights demanded by one individual or group can often restrict those of another person or group. The answer to creating a free and harmonious society is not found in ever increasing laws and regulations but in love and respect for the other whoever that might be. When asked which of the commandments was the greatest Jesus united them all into two; ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and all your mind’. And ‘you must love your neighbour as yourself’(Matthew 22:36-40). The more we stray away from these two principals the more lost we become.

In the Gospel we see Jesus exercising his divine authority by which he can redefine and extend the laws laid down and adopted through the ages. Only God has this authority therefore this is an example of when Jesus challenged the Jewish authorities of his day but also us today to accept or reject him as God. Jesus took examples of the law and added a further depth and meaning to them. It might be thought easy to understand the command ‘thou shalt not kill’. However we have become adept at finding ways that have become acceptable to society to kill another human being. It might be done in the name of justice, it might be done in the name of compassion or wrapped up in some other legalistic excuse but it will still amount to killing. Jesus went even further and warned against the feelings that lead to the principal sin. We need to deal with the inner feelings that lead to conflict, hate, violence and eventually death. The same goes for adultery and lust or any other sin. Allowing ourselves to develop or even dwell on thoughts of this nature is wrong because these are the starting points of sinfulness. Jesus even tells us not to bring down oaths in God’s name to support the truth of what we say. Our word should always be truthful and reliable without any need of further swearing.

Jesus did indeed come not to abolish the law but to complete it. In Jesus we see the importance of living by the laws passed down to us. It is not good enough simply to blindly obey the obvious meanings of the words without absorbing the reasons for them and truly living them out in our hearts and minds fulfilling the overarching command to love God and love our neighbour. Under no circumstances should we assume the authority to alter or interpret these precepts for our own ends. On the face of it all these laws seem impossible to follow as Jesus suggested. For us, as fallen human beings, it is impossible and we will fail many times, but with the power of the Holy Spirit living within in us giving us the grace we need we can follow God’s loving guidance.

Our faith is not about following the precepts of the commandments but about going beyond them. We need to check our internal drives and motives leading to all our thoughts and actions asking for the God's grace to heal our failings at their root cause before they develop into overt actions. Let us not only avoid the sins outlined by the Ten Commandments but let us seek to positively avoid the human weaknesses that start us down the path to them.

God Bless, Brendan.