SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
12 FEBRUARY 2017
Saint
Matthew wrote his Gospel for Jewish Christians.
In his Gospel, he wanted to demonstrate that Jesus is the new Moses,
giving the new law. That is why he
begins his Gospel with Jesus going up the mountain to give the Sermon on the
Mount, much as Moses had gone up Mount Sinai.
There, Jesus, the new Moses, presents eight beatitudes – eight attitudes
central to disciples living his new law of love. Then, he says that those who live these
beatitudes are like salt and light. They
preserve and enlighten. Today, he
addresses the question which would have been on the minds and in the hearts of
the original readers of this Gospel: how
does the Old Law of Moses relate to this new law of love? Jesus answers by stating that he has not come
to abolish the Law of Moses, but to fulfill it.
Then he gives six specific examples.
We heard the first four today, and we will hear the other two next
Sunday.
If we are
to become intentional disciples and provide salt and light to our world, we need
to reflect on each of his examples. The
fifth commandment of the Law of Moses forbids murder. Jesus raises the bar and tells us to avoid
anger. He is not talking about our human
emotion of anger, which we all share. He
is not referring to the healthy ways in which we need to express that human
emotion. He is talking about deep seated
resentments and hatreds which can consume us and damage or destroy human
relationships. We give one another the
sign of peace before receiving the Lord in Communion as a way of stating that
we are willing to work on reconciliation with those against whom we hold these
grievances.
The sixth
commandment of the Law of Moses forbids adultery. So does Jesus. However, he goes further. He warns us against the danger of making a
person of the opposite sex into an object and obsessing over that person as an
object of desire. That is why
pornography is so dangerous. It
encourages the type of lust which Jesus warns against. Fortunately, we do not take as a literal
command his words about tearing out our eyes or hands if we have been tempted! We would all be walking around blind and
without hands!
The Law of
Moses allowed divorce. However, only a
husband could file for a divorce, and he did not have to give any reason. The wife had absolutely no rights. Once he had gotten rid of her, she could be
forced into another marriage or even into prostitution to make ends meet. Jesus calls married disciples to a higher
standard. To this day, the Church
continues to teach that only death can end a valid bond of marriage. We do not regard divorce as ending a valid
bond of marriage. We urge married
couples to do everything possible to repair any damage in marriages.
The Law of
Moses regulated the feudal system of Jesus’ day. A person of lower rank swore an oath to a
patron. While we do not live in a feudal
system anymore, our peers or our business interests might put us at odds with
Gospel values. Jesus instructs us to
tell the truth at all times and to fulfill our oaths to God.
Jesus clearly
raises the bar of expectations for us, his disciples. His new Law deepens the wisdom which Sirach
describes in the first reading. God has
clearly shown forth his love for us in allowing his Son to be sacrificed on the
cross. That love is extended to
everyone. But, as Sirach points out, God
gives us a choice. We can ignore that
love and do whatever we want. Or, we can
choose to imitate that love by living Christ’s new commandment to love one
another as he has loved us. Living as
faithful disciples involves making life changing choices to accept God’s
mysterious wisdom manifested in the cross.
Living as faithful disciples also involves embracing that wisdom in the
choices we make each day. In making
these daily choices, we preserve the Gospel message and provide hope in a
darkened world. We become salt and
light.
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