6th Sunday in Ordinary time year A | Homily for 12 February 2023

My dear friends, on the sixth Sunday in ordinary time Year A the 1st reading is taken from the book of Sirach which is part of wisdom literature in the Old Testament. This reading addresses a very important aspect of our life – the role of free will to make choices and decisions. The readings are taken from chapter 15 which speaks about the pursuit of wisdom and the ensuing blessings. There is also a rejection of the idea that God causes sin and finally an emphasis on the point that God has given human beings the freedom to choose for themselves. We all have to choose between good and evil.

The readings mention that ‘He has placed before you fire and water; stretch out your hand for whichever you choose’. Water and fire stand for reward and punishment indicating that our choices have their consequences. Before each of us is placed life and death and one will receive what one chooses.

The choices that we have made or someone has made for us eventually shape us into who we are today. A lifetime of choosing has influenced the way we see and engage the world. For better or worse our life and world have been built around the choices we have made.

According to the Principle and Foundation in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola – Human beings are created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save their soul. So essentially, there is only one criterion to evaluate all our choices i.e. whether our decision takes us closer to God or away from God. In the end, the only choice that really matters is the one between life and death. We are called to introspect about what motivates the choices we make in our day-to-day life. Are our choices motivated by attachment to material objects? Or are our choices motivated by anger, fear, jealousy or some prejudice that we are carrying within ourselves? In the video description, I have included a link about a video I had made earlier about Discernment and making Decisions in Life - so do view that for more information.

In the second reading taken from the first letter of St Paul to the Corinthians, we see St. Paul making a difference between worldly wisdom and God’s wisdom. The special wisdom to which Paul claims access is God’s wisdom that leads God’s people to glory. On the other hand, we have wisdom of the world and the leaders of the world that will eventually lead the people to destruction. Paul insists that it is only by receiving the Spirit that one can know the things of God. While we cannot discern God’s mysteries by our senses or intellect, we can know them by God’s revelation. God has shown us what we could not see on our own through his Holy Spirit, who dwells in us. Similarly, as mortal human beings, we cannot understand the mysteries of God. Therefore, God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit who can understand God’s mysteries and bring us closer to God.

In the gospel taken from Matthew we witness Jesus highlighting his mission of fulfilling the law. Jesus mentions that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Now as we know the Pharisees and scribes took pride in the exact observance of all the laws. So how does one better that? In the Gospel four examples are presented of Jesus’ interpretation of the Law which is found in the Old Testament. Jesus explains how the Pharisees followed the Law to the t but in the bargain ignored the true spirit of the law. Essentially, what is important is the true spirit of the law and not the ritual observation of it.

The first instance is regarding the fifth commandment ‘THOU SHALL NOT KILL.’

Human life is sacred and a person has no power over the lives of others. We are not only capable of killing people physically but also emotionally and psychologically – don’t we kill people when we avoid them or deny them forgiveness, don’t we kill people by our gossip or slanders?

While it’s quite natural to get angry for a short duration, the gospel warns us about the anger that we deliberately keep in our hearts over long periods. This anger is dangerous as it leads to other sins. If we are to achieve harmony with God we need first to achieve harmony with our brother and sister. We have to resolve our differences and negotiate amicable settlements without going to court. As it is rightly said a stitch in time saves nine.

The second example is that of the sixth commandment THOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.

While it is in our human nature to be attracted to the opposite sex, what the text refers to is lust and not simple attraction. We are familiar with the story of David and Bathsheba and how David’s lust not only led him to commit adultery but also murder. The reference to tearing out our right eye and cutting off our right hand is certainly not to be taken literally. It is a form of writing which is called hyperbole which uses exaggerations to make a point. Jesus’ point is that we need to act swiftly about eradicating sin from our lives. We must not compromise with evil. The text refers to self-control rather than bodily mutilation.

The third example concerns Divorce.

Jesus goes against the custom, traditions, and interpretations of the rabbis, and brings marriage to its original purity and excludes the possibility of separating what God has determined to remain united. He points to God’s original intent, that marriage is a covenant relationship in which a man and woman live out their lives in mutual love and devotion to God and each other. To reduce marriage to a matter of convenience – as the Jews in Jesus’ day were doing – was to distort the whole concept of God’s intent. 

The last example is concerning oaths which is connected to the second commandment THOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN.

To take His name in vain means to invoke God’s name lightly, or profanely – to use it without humbly acknowledging the holy character of God. To invoke the name of God in an oath or vow when your statement is false or when you do not intend to honour your words is a direct violation of the commandment. Jesus introduces his disciples to a new and higher standard. They are to keep their language simple and their actions honest. They are to live in such a way that their lifestyle will make oaths unnecessary. They are to live with such integrity that people can trust their simple Yes or No to be a guarantee.

To live up to the standards that are set before us is not easy. Perhaps, even impossible if we try to do it by ourselves. We need to pray for the gift of wisdom to make the life-giving choices in our life and live our life following not only the commandments but the spirit behind the commandments. Take care and God Bless.