Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle
A
Sirach 15: 15-20; 1 Corinthians 2:
6-10;
Matthew 5: 17-37
The
readings today are all about choices. Sirach makes those choices
sound easy and clear-cut: choose fire or water, choose life or death,
choose good or evil. Make the choice and it shall be given. (Sirach
15: 16-17) But the reality of life is never that simple. It's
hardly ever black and white – there's always plenty of gray area.
When God breathed life into the human race, we were given the
opportunity to make choices and decisions for ourselves. We call
this “free will.” Because we are flawed and imperfect, those
choices we make are often not the best choices. We need guidance and
wisdom to help us.
Paul's
epistle to the Corinthians speaks of a wisdom more mature than our
own life experiences. It is God's wisdom, revealed through the
Spirit. “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, what God has
prepared for those who love him.” (Isaiah 64: 3, 1 Corinthians 2:
9) We cannot get this wisdom from reading a book, not even this
book (hold
up the Bible). It is only revealed through the Spirit.
In Matthew, Jesus begins the passage by revealing “I
have not come to abolish [the law] but to fulfill [it]... 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.” (Matthew 5: 17-18) Perhaps Jesus is saying it is possible
for us to live within the laws as written in the Old Testament.
However, it is only in following Jesus, and guidance of the Spirit,
that the nuances and flesh of the laws – that gray area that I
spoke of earlier – can be understood and navigated.
He then gives us three examples of the law, and three
choices to make. The first is this: Will we choose to be people of
peace, or people of violence? The law says, “You shall not kill.”
But Jesus, the fulfillment, says we will be judged if we are angry
with one another. This point is so important that Jesus says we must
be at peace with each other before we can worship God! “If you
recall that your brother [or sister] has anything against you, leave
your gift at the altar, and go first and be reconciled...” Perhaps
that's why the church places the “sign of peace” just before we
receive Eucharist. To be a person of peace is to be a person of
forgiveness. The better choice is to be a part of a community of
forgiveness – to choose peace.
Then there is the choice to live our relationships in
fidelity. The law says, “You shall not commit adultery.” But
Jesus, the fulfillment, tells us that we have sinned by simply
lusting after another in our hearts. It's not simply a matter of not
committing adultery; it's a matter of honoring our own commitments,
and those of others. Jesus calls for wholeness in relationship with
others, not treating another as an object. It begins in the heart.
Furthermore,
for Jesus, marriage was a part of the plan of God, mirroring God's
love and fidelity to the chosen people. The marriage relationship
should be a place of safety, nurturing and honor, not danger,
dishonesty and destructiveness. By forbidding divorce, Jesus was
calling for a reconciled relationship between spouses. We should
note here that this is NOT about
keeping together what is broken beyond repair. It is about
reconciliation when it is at all possible.
Now, before I can continue, there is something I need to
say. This passage about divorce
challenges me. I have one brother and one sister. My wife has five
brothers and sisters. Every one of them falls into this category of
divorce – so when Jesus talks about this, he's talking about my
family – probably yours too. Jesus' statements about divorce and
adultery – and the church's position on the subject – have driven
most of my family away from the Catholic Church. They still worship
in other denominations – they still hear the Word and follow it as
best they can – but they are separated from the Eucharist. This
wonderful gift of healing and communion is denied them. It makes me
angry and it makes me sad. We are all flawed and imperfect. We are
all sinners. The church should act as a hospital for sinners. It should
welcome sinners – ALL SINNERS – with open arms, and without
judgment. If that is truly the goal, the church still has a long way
to go. I am encouraged by the compassion and the courage that Pope
Francis has shown. I have to trust that Jesus will fulfill and the
Spirit will guide us all to the Kingdom. I don't know the answer –
but I'll continue to pray for guidance and reconciliation in this
matter.
Our final choice has to do with oaths. In Jesus' time,
it was the custom to make an oath – to call on God to stand by
one's word. But Jesus, the fulfillment, is saying there is no need
for this, because we should be speakers of truth all the time. “Let
your 'yes' mean 'yes' and your 'no' mean 'no.'” (Matthew 5: 37) If
we are a people of truth and honesty, there is no need for oaths.
Anyone can follow the laws as written in the Old
Testament. But the heart of the law – the meat of the law – the
depth of the law – cannot be reached alone. It is by choosing to
follow Jesus and allowing the guidance of the Spirit that the law can
be fully understood and attained.
Jesus is calling each of us this day. He is calling us
to have a heart that is forgiving, faithful and truthful. This is
the wisdom of God, fulfilled through Christ and revealed through the
Spirit. Behind these statements is a God who wills that human
society be just and merciful, that human life be nourished, and
relationships restored. God's will lies at the heart of the law. In
bringing the law to completion, Jesus calls us to live in love, a
love that completes us and makes us whole, because it is God's love.
Deacon Darryl J. Diemer
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 16, 2014
Painting: Fra Angelico, "Sermon on the Mount", 1442
