Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
My emphasis on the centrality of the Sermon on the Mount is well known to all my listeners. Since the gospel readings for the last two weekends, today, and the next weekend is taken from the SM, I find it very tempting to focus exclusively on the SM. After all, what could be more important than Jesus’ perspective on real human issues of anger, hate, murder, adultery, divorce, and oaths. However, I am going to resist that temptation. We must begin elsewhere. Both the first reading today and the Sermon on the Mount begin with a reflection on “the commandments".
- Commandments – More than Laws. In the Old Testament, commandments represented something far deeper. Todays’ first reading says, “Immense is the wisdom of the Lord; He is mighty in power, and all-seeing” (Sir 15:18). In other words, the commandments gave people an insight into God. They were an insight into God’s wisdom, into God’s power, and into God’s vision for the world. Moreover, it was also an invitation to Israel to live life from God’s perspective. Here is the opening verse of today’s readings: “If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live” (Sir 15:15). For us in the Christian tradition, the commandments are more than laws. Perhaps, this is why Jesus says to us in today’s gospel reading, “Do not think I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfil” (Mt 5:17). Jesus did not endorse legalism. The commandments themselves do not save us. It is the God beyond the commandments who saves us. Hence, Jesus taught us to go beyond the commandments. He taught his disciples to look at the vision that the commandments were providing. It was a vision into God’s wisdom, God’s life, and God’s love and care for us. In reality, the commandments are a participation in God’s life.
- Let us move one step forward. Until Jesus came, there was God, there were the commandments, and people were invited to discover the God beyond the commandments. With Jesus’ coming, there was a paradigm shift. When we look at Jesus we see the personification of the commandments. Jesus is the giver of the commandments, Jesus is the commandments, Jesus is the fulfilment of the commandments. As he reminds us in today’s gospel, he came to fulfil the law (Mt 5:17). Most of all, through Jesus we learn that “love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10). He fulfilled the commandments by brining all the commandments under two commandments– love of God and love of neighbor. On the cross we see Jesus fulfilling these two commandments to perfection. The cross is the fulfilment of the commandments. What then is the paradigm shift? The paradigm shift is this – that we do not have to focus on the commandments themselves. All we have to do is imitate Christ. To follow the commandments is to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.
- A Prevision of Heaven. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus raises four areas for the consideration of his disciples – anger, adultery, divorce, and oaths. As we hear Jesus’ words, I am compelled to examine my conscience. I have gotten angry, sometimes, even unreasonably. Perhaps there are people in this congregation who have either committed adultery or are the victims of their spouse’s adultery; surely there are those here who have experienced divorce; and when it comes to oaths, I think we might all be guilty of failing to let our ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and ‘no’ be ‘no.’ What are we to make of the demands Jesus makes on his disciples? First of all, Jesus is giving us a pre-vision of the kingdom of God. Imagine a world without rage, violence, murder and infidelity. Imagine a world where there is no need of a divorce because every person lives up to their marital vocation to their best. Imagine a world every person act with integrity, truth, and honesty. The Sermon on the Mount gives us a peek into eternity. However, Jesus is not merely showing us the future. In reality Jesus is saying that heaven is a possibility here and now. As the SM teaches us to pray, “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” Each one of us is invited to create heaven on earth. Our world is not a perfect world and our lives are not perfect lives. That should not prevent us from striving to live the life that the commandments steer us towards. Because when we do, we make God present among us; when we do, we make Jesus present among us!
Fr. Satish Joseph