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Homily for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Read: (Sir 15: 15-20; 1 Cor 2: 6-10; Matt 5: 17-37)

Reflect: Fullness of life in God is attained by our choice, discernment and righteous life…

Dear friends, today we are in the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The readings of the day invite each one of us to acquire qualities to obtain the fullness of life that befits us as children of God, Disciples of Christ and enter the eternal kingdom prepared for all. God has manifested these qualities in our lives. What we need to do is to choose them rightly, discern life in the spirit of God to be right and righteous in life. Our choices, our discernment and our righteousness are the secrets for fullness of life in God.   So based on the liturgy of the word, I would like to share with you three points of reflections how we can obtain the fullness of life in God;

1.      Choose rightly:

The freedom of choice is the gift that God has given to human being. He wishes that we choose rightly and discern wisely and act accordingly to obtain life eternal. But most of us misuse freedom like Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis at the time of creation. God gave them the freedom but has commanded not to disobey his orders. But human tendency is to go after things that are forbidden. Similar things we too do even today. We know what is godly or ungodly; good or bad; but because of our desire for more, curious to know unwanted issues or concepts, we bypass the commands of God or do not pay heed to God’s word. So our failure to choose wisely the things of the world make us fail to choose life eternal that God has given us.

The first reading from the book of Sirach speaks of the power and wisdom of God as how God has created the world and has given the freedom of choice to each one. The choice we make determines our destiny. That’s what we hear in Sirach, “If you desire you will keep the commandments and to act faithfully is a matter of choice.” Yes, the choice is given to choose either the fire which consumes or the water that cools; to choose life or death; the consequence will be according to the choice we make. Although we are given a choice, the mind of God is manifested in the first reading that those who fear God, God always watches over; He knows everyone’s moves and deeds; he has neither commanded anyone to be ungodly nor given permission to sin. So in all his goodness God wishes that we choose water rather than fire, life rather than death, because he loves us his children.

Today, we need to remember, although God has given us choices to do what we like or feel yet he does not want us to make choices that end our communication, communion with God. So today we shall pray that we choose what God intends and wants rather than what we feel, like or wish. Very beautifully Pope Francis says, “Discernment is an important act that concerns everyone, because choices are an essential part of life. One chooses food, clothing, a course of study, a job, a relationship. In all of these, a life project is realized, and even our relationship with God is concretized.” So let us choose what pleases God, establish relationship solid and strong and gain life eternal.

2.      Discern the Spirit of God:

Human wisdom is earthly and worldly whereas God’s wisdom is heavenly and blissful, because, God’s wisdom encompasses everything in the world and comes under God’s authority and power. Pope Francis very aptly says, “It is not simply human wisdom, the fruit of knowledge and experience? The wisdom the Holy Spirit is the grace of being able to see things through God’s eyes. It is seeing the world, situations, problems, everything, with the eyes of God. Obviously this derives from intimacy with God, from the relationship of a son with his Father. When we are in communion with the Lord, it is through the Holy Spirit that our heart transforms and we are able to perceive all its warmth and preference.”

Yes, the Holy Spirit enables us to listen to God, obtains wisdom that is essential to understand the ways and means God lays down and takes us to the green pastures of life so fresh and fertile. So the wisdom obtained by human standards and principles are nothing compared to the wisdom obtained in and through the spirit of God.

The second reading from the First letter of St. Paul to Corinthians we hear that we are given the secret and hidden wisdom of God before all ages but none of the rulers have understood, because of which they crucified Jesus. The secret and hidden wisdom that Paul speaks here is the spirit of God. The hidden and secret wisdom will be obtained by those who love God. Because St. Paul says at the end of the reading, “for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.”

True it is that we are merely satisfied with the wisdom obtained by human minds and motives, standards and systems, contacts and competence, but what we need to look for is the secret and hidden wisdom that gives eternal life and makes life happy forever with God. Such wisdom will be obtained as Paul would say, “by those who love God.” The more we love God the more we grow in intimacy with Him; the more we grow in intimacy with God, the more we know about Him; the more we know about God the better will be our understanding about God and our relationship with God would be deep.

Perhaps at times we feel our eloquent words, fluent language, knowledge of various events and concepts of the world make us wise but in reality is the spirit of God which makes us wise. The Spirit of God gives a wider perspective about life to discern and come closer to God; the Spirit of God helps us discern right from wrong, move from bad to good. So let us pray that the spirit of God descends upon us and makes us wise to understand the designs of God to design life beautiful.

3.      Live righteously:

The righteous person does only what is morally right and avoids all evil. He does not overestimate or underestimate any. He does it rightly and righteously. Jesus demands us his disciples greater righteousness than the scribes and Pharisees. That’s why Jesus opens the reading with the statement concerning righteousness, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of God.”

It is a reminder for all of us to go beyond the practice of righteousness by scribes and Pharisees. The practice of righteousness by scribes and Pharisees were conditional, situational, social, based on convenience and rigid but not contextual or concerned about the situations and conditions of human life. It also points out that Jesus by saying to exceed the righteousness of scribes and Pharisees underscores the importance of taking extra-efforts in fulfilling the laws and the prophets, without watering down or over emphasizing the laws and prophets of the Old Testament to enter into the kingdom of God.

One of the examples, where the scribes and Pharisees were so rigid and self-righteous in following the laws very rigidly, without even having a concern or sensitivity to human beings could be their unacceptance of any healing done on the Sabbath day. The scribes and Pharisees even asked Jesus, “Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath,” to bring charges against Jesus (Matt 5:10-12).  They were law-oriented but did not promote life or life-oriented acts.  They lost sensitivity to human persons, their needs and identity. That’s why we hear Jesus say, “The Sabbath was made for human persons and not human beings for Sabbath,” (Mk 2:27).

Moreover the Gospel presents to us the formula of anti-thesis by Jesus that calls us for greater righteousness. The formula, “you have heard… but now I tell you,” that Jesus uses in his teaching is repeated six times in the Gospel of Matthew (5: 17-48), but in today’s Gospel we have four times. The first formula is about Murder, the second is adultery, the third is divorce and the forth is an oath sworn to the Lord. 

Here, Jesus as a teacher emphasizes his authority over laws and prophets by giving us correct understanding and practice of laws and prophets of the Old Testament. Jesus goes deeper and helps us to practice righteousness greatly in the acts concerning murder, mockery, divorce and an oath to the Lord. The actions are not only serious or wrong in literal sense but the very interior intentions and actions can equal to being unrighteous.

The act of Murder is not only an unrighteous act in its literal sense but anger, mockery and unforgiving attitude is as well grievous and unrighteous act as we hurt others; adultery is not only serious in literal sense but even the very lustful look at the other is grievous and unrighteous act; divorce is not only unrighteous act in literal sense but the very act involved in it is grievous and unrighteous; breaking an oath sworn to the Lord is not only unrighteous in literal sense but even the very act of swearing or taking the name of God  itself is grievous and unrighteous act.

Therefore, Jesus does not abolish the laws or prophets but enhances, perfects and puts across the right understanding of laws and its importance in life. Jesus asserts that the obedience to the demands of God is more important than the obedience to those who teach and interpret laws. Today we are not called merely to impose laws but to see the practicality of the laws in human society. The righteous people always promote life more than laws that chains and imprisons us at times. Laws are good as longs as it frees us, makes us realize to reach the goal of life and fulfill the purpose for which it is legalized.

Today we need to realize as well that the laws and legislation in the Catholic Church or the world is to live a righteous and an orderly life, enhancing it and making earth a heaven, a better place for everyone to live. Most of us fail to understand the purpose and the fullness of laws of the Church or the society when we undervalue or overvalue it. But we are called to emphasize it correctly. Today we too become modern scribes and Pharisees, when we try to underestimate or overestimate laws in the church or society, without promoting or valuing life. Jesus gives importance to life and laws as well. But life always precedes laws, because we are created by God and in his image. As followers of Christ, let us be righteous in following the laws and prophets rightly and righteously, promoting life and laws accordingly. Yes, a righteous person does what is right and what is pleasing to God always. Let us be righteous and live righteously.

Respond:

• Do we make right choice of life freely given and believe that God wishes our well-being?

• Do we seek and discern the wisdom of the spirit of God or seek wisdom by human standards and motives?

• Do we live righteously to please God or wish to be self-righteous pleasing oneself and win over the attraction of others?

Let us choose rightly, discern the spirit of God that obtains true wisdom and live life rightly, righteously and obtain the fullness of life in God. Amen.

God Bless us all... Live Jesus!

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS

rameshvkmsfs@gmail.com

9500930968