Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
It would take a weekend retreat to do justice to the depth of today’s readings. And for that reason, I have decided to go directly into the three practical implications. My vantage point in reflecting upon these reading is the phrase – “Immense is the wisdom of the Lord” (Sir 15:18). In fact, if we reflect upon all the three readings together we realize that they all talk about the wisdom of God made know to us by God, because God loves us. In today’s second reading too, Paul talks about God’s wisdom – mysterious and hidden (1 Cor 2:7). Jesus too, in today’s gospel reading refers to God’s Law as something eternal. That is why he says that, “not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.” (Mt 5:17-18)
In my three practical implications, then, I am hoping to focus not only on God’s commandments and laws but also on our response to them. But I hope to do this from a relational dimension – from the perspective of relationships. Here then are the three practical implications of today’s readings.
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What God Has Prepared. Paul, talking about the wisdom of God says, “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him.” Let me give you an example. I love to cook. But much of my pleasure of cooking comes from enjoying it with others. Thus, often time, what I intended to eat for a whole week ends up on the staff lunch table. If nothing else, I love to make other people simply taste what I have cooked. Especially, if I have invited friends for dinner, I not only prepare awesome food, but I find great pleasure in watching them enjoy it. Paul is saying something similar when it comes to God and the wisdom that God has revealed to us in the laws and commandments. Hear this one more time: “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him.” In other words, just like we prepare the most exquisite food for those we love, God has prepared something every exquisite for us because God loves us. Everything that we know about God and from God; everything from the book of Genesis, through the ten commandments, the words of the prophets and leading up to the life, words, actions, teaching, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus – this God prepared has for those who love God. I think the book of Genesis is the appetizer, Exodus and wisdom literate is the most delicate soup and salad, prophetic literature is the main course and Jesus is the most exquisite desert. God prepared this for us who love God.
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The Choice to Love God's Self-Revelation. The second theme in today’s readings is the human response to God’s revelation. This choice is put very starkly in today’s first reading: Sirach says, “If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live; he has set before you fire and water to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand. Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him.” I am going to continue with the analogy of exquisite food to explain this. In some ways, this analogy is also a payback to all of you for laughing at me last week when I confessed my ignorance about America sports. I think that most people in America throw away the tastiest, most sumptuous and delicious parts of animals. The difference in taste between chicken breast and chicken feet is the difference between purgatory (chicken breast) and heaven (chicken feet). The difference between cod fish fillet that you get in a fish and chips place and fish head is the difference between heaven and hell; by the way, fish head is heaven. Any chef or good cook will tell you, the meat closest to the bone is the tastiest. And I have a rough time convincing most of my friends in America about it. The other day, I made oxtail. One of my friend’s reaction was “EEW!!!” But you do not know till you have tasted. But here is the kicker. And then people easily eat a hot dog which has the same parts that they detest otherwise!
So here is the moral of the story. God has revealed God’s wisdom, God’s plan, and God’s will. And we all have the choice to make the kind of response we want to make. However, our choice has implications. If you want to eat hotdogs the rest of your life that is your choice. But you will miss some very good food. Similarly, if we choose not to live by God’s will, God’s commandments and the teachings, actions and life of Jesus then the implications is simple – we will not participate in full and sumptuous life that God offer to us in love. The bottom line is this – discipleship is a choice.
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Commandments are Relational. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus takes four areas of our life and transforms the very meaning of Old Testament commandments in these areas. The areas are murder, adultery, marriage, and taking oaths. Next week we will hear about two more areas – retaliation and love of enemies. We have to admit that these commandments, even if understood as being prepared by God with love, are not easy ones to keep. Here is where I want to emphasis the relational dimension. Jesus, by saying, “You have heard that it was said of old… but I say to you….” was taking these commandments from the ‘law for law’s sake’ approach to ‘laws for love’s sake’ approach. In other words, it is less about the commandment and more about our relationship with God. It is like two people getting married. Marriage comes with its set of laws, restrictions and expectations. However, the love that unites two people makes them look at these laws not as impediments but rather as liberation. The restrictions and expectations sets the couples free to be totally committed to each other. Let me return to the analogy of food. There are a few things in the American diet that absolutely dislike – hotdogs, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly. And I am not fond of lasagna or pasta with red sauce. But there are times when I have visited homes and the star dish is lasagna. And if it happens to be vegetable lasagna, then I come home and have a real dinner. In these moments my relationship with the family trumps my likes and dislikes. And when I visit homes where clearly the family is struggling financially, l let them know that I do not mind if we had hotdogs for dinner. In these moments it is not about the food but rather it is about the relationship.
The commandments are a burden and a restriction only if our relationship with God is weak. To the extent that our relationship with God is as loving as God’s relationship with us, to that extent the Laws and commandments are a gift that sets us free to love God and our neighbors genuinely. If the commandments, laws, Jesus and the teaching of Jesus are God’s gifts prepared for us in love, then to live our lives in keeping with them becomes our preparation of our lives for God in eternity.
As we offer this mass, let us grateful for God's great gift that God has prepared for us - Jesus in the Eucharist.
Fr. Satish Joseph